Bridge safety in Oregon top of mind following Baltimore disaster

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — After a bridge collapsed in Baltimore when a container ship struck it Tuesday morning, the issue of bridge safety has been top of mind for many drivers in Oregon and Southwest Washington. 

In particular, the aging I-5 bridge connecting the two states is due for an upgrade. So should drivers be concerned about it or any of the other older local bridges? 

Portland, Oregon’s most populous city, is often called Bridge City since it has 12 bridges across the Willamette River and two spanning the Columbia River — all of which are either state or county-owned.

Some of those bridges are in need of repair or replacement.

A national report indicates 87% of Multnomah County bridges are in poor or fair condition. Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the county are asking the legislature for more money to help with maintenance and repairs.  As for keeping an eye out to prevent ship collisions, ODOT said this is already happening.

“We have workers 24/7 on the Interstate Bridge that are watching the river at all times to see if there are any problems out there on the river that we need to be careful about, to see if there are any ships that are in danger out there on the river,” said ODOT spokesperson Don Hamilton.

ODOT said major safety inspections are done every two years on state bridges. There’s also other, more frequent monitoring, that is routinely conducted.

A lot of discussion has happened about how tall to make the I-5 replacement bridge to avoid ship collisions since the bridge would not have a moveable middle section. However, the cargo ship in Baltimore crashed into a bridge support.  And that ship was enormous — in fact, engineers reviewing the crash say no bridge pier could withstand being hit by a ship that size.

In Oregon, ships that size are not on the Columbia or the Willamette in the Portland metro area.

ODOT and other local bridge operators told KOIN 6 News they are following the developments closely to see what is learned from the crash.