By James Day
The Silverton Road bridge over the Little Pudding River between Silverton and Salem has reopened to through traffic.
The $6.4 million bridge work on the span on Highway 213 is completed to the extent that it is safe for motorists to use, although a few loose ends will be tidied up later this spring, said Steven Preszler, the project manager for Marion County.
The remaining work will be done in May to early June, Preszler said, and “includes wall facing at each corner, final paving and the last of the guardrail. The reason we need to wait on these final items for several months is so that settlement of the soil at the bridge approaches can take place.
“Doing so will mean that the final roadway surface is smooth and without a bump at the transition to the bridge. It will also prevent settlement cracks in the wall facing.”
Also, Preszler said, in the coming days the infrastructure that was deployed for temporary traffic signals at Howell Prairie Road and Silverton Road and Cordon Road at Hazel Green, will be removed. The signals currently are serving as flashing four-way stops, which will remain the mode of control once the towers and lights are removed.
The bridge was replaced because it was outdated,no longer structurally sound and no longer seismically safe.
