Looking south across the one-lane Cox Creek bridge on Waverly Drive on Wednesday afternoon.
On a bike ride Wednesday, I stopped at the bridge across Cox Creek on Waverly Drive. Except that the pavement has become more pitted, little has changed there since the bridge was briefly closed and then restricted to one driving lane in 2005.
This bridge was built in 1957. Now it belongs to Millersburg and serves as the gateway to Simpson Park, the Talking Water Gardens, and the Millersburg yard of the Portland & Western Railroad. The bridge is on the state transportation department’s list to be replaced, and every once in a while there’s a little movement in that direction.
On Tuesday, for instance, the Linn County Board of Commissioners approved the publication of a request for proposals in connection with the bridge replacement. The details were opaque, but this seems to be an invitation to submit proposals for engineering services.
County Engineer Daineal Malone sent word that the request will be public on Nov. 1.
The bridge replacement has been included in the so-called STIP, the Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan. A year ago it was projected to be constructed in 2026, and apparently that is still the plan.
The STIP says projected costs are about $537,000 for “preliminary engineering” in 2025 and $3.9 million for construction the year after that. In between, acquisition of additional right of way might cost about $89,000.
Millersburg is getting state funding for the replacement from ODOT’s Local Bridge Program. The Linn County Road Department is administering the project because it’s certified to do so and Millersburg isn’t.
Total projected cost of this project is just north of $4.5 million. Actually, nobody knows what replacing this 67-year-old bridge will cost until the county opens bids and awards a contract to get the job done. (hh)
It’s tough to get a photo of the underside of the Waverly Drive bridge over Cox Creek.
Why is the cox creek replacement bridge estimated to be more than $4.5M for a relatively small bridge over a relatively small creek when the Ellsworth project bid was $4.5? What am I missing? It sure seems like it should be a pretty straightforward effort.
This will take you to all the documents. It’s a lot more complicated than what most people think.
https://albanyoregon.gov/finance/purchasing/bids?view_bid=660
Note: This is the City of Albany work being done.
as Hasso says, the Millersburg/ODOT portion hasn’t been decided yet.
Sorry to have contributed to confusion. I should have pointed out that the planned Waverly Drive bridge replacement on Cox Creek is not to be confused with the repairs on the Salem Avenue bridge over Cox Creek, which have been completed.