Burnside Bridge earthquake-ready design survey closes Wednesday

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Wednesday marks the last day Portlanders can weigh in on the final design for the city’s Earthquake Ready Burnside Bridge Project.

Survey participants will get to consider three cable stays and three tied arches by “using interactive graphics and watching 3D videos that simulate the experience of being on and near the bridge.”

Man accused of ‘intentionally’ running over seagulls on Washington beach

The survey will be available on the county’s website through July 31.

The project, which began in 2019, has worked with several groups – including engineers, architects, and other agencies – for aesthetic plans, structural components, costs and long-term maintenance needs.

The project aims to replace the Burnside Bridge with a bridge that will withstand a Cascadia Subduction Zone quake, which is expected in the zone every 300-500 years.

  • burnside bridge
    Height differences between the two proposed bridge styles for the Burnside Bridge preplacement project. (Multnomah County)
  • Burnside Bridge
    Side-by-side comparisons of the six designs for the proposed Burnside Bridge rebuild. (Multnomah County)
  • SURVEY: Multnomah County asks public to vote for Burnside Bridge replacement design
    The “V-tower” is one of six designs proposed for the Burnside Bridge preplacement project. (Multnomah County)
  • cascadia earthquake sources USGS_205313
    Cascadia Subduction Zone graphic (USGS)

According to Multnomah County, the project is necessary because no vehicular bridges that cross the Willamette River would be usable after a major earthquake.

VIDEO: Rare Rocky Mountain goat sighting on Mount Hood

Jan. 26, 2024, marked the 324th anniversary of the most recent earthquake — a massive Magnitude 9 quake spanning Northern California to British Columbia.

As pressure builds between the Juan de Fuca plate and the North American Plate, Oregon’s Office of Emergency Management says there’s about a 37% chance of a megathrust earthquake in the Cascadia Subduction Zone in the next 50 years.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.