91ÊÓƵ

Delays have pushed back the completion of the Morrison Bridge pedestrian path project into early March, according to the prime contractor. The project, to widen the bridge’s narrow sidewalk for bicycles and pedestrians, originally had been scheduled to be finished last month.

Work on the $1.9 million project started in January 2009. Wilsonville-based R&R General Contractors is finishing up the improvements, which include 15-foot-wide paths, a concrete barrier to keep the path separate from motor vehicle traffic and a two-tube, crash-resistant, metal guardrail.

°Õ³ó³Ü°ù²õ»å²¹²â,Ìý Multnomah County spokesman Mike Pullen as saying the county would seek to recover some money from R&R as a result of the delay. Pullen later said he was not in a position to comment on the matter, but that delays aren’t unusual when an existing structure is modified.

“There have been some parts of the project that have been redesigned, as is typical of any project where there’s a structure that has already been built,” Pullen said.

Pullen maintains that R&R has a claim pending, although he said he hasn’t seen it. Although Multnomah County owns the bridge and manages the construction contract, the Oregon Department of Transportation awarded the contract.

Jesse Rodriguez, president of R&R, said he hadn’t filed any action against the county and he hadn’t been notified of any action against his company.

“We’re not in a claim,” Rodriguez said. “That’s the first I’ve heard that Multnomah County is going to file a claim against anybody.”