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The Sellwood Bridge project received an approval today from the Multnomah County board that will allow the project to proceed with preliminary work on a detour bridge starting in December.

The project has faced budget issues, though its shortfall has shrunk from over $40 million down to just $22.7 million, thanks to savings found in new design features and a refinement of the project’s overall design, said county bridge project manager Ian Cannon. The bridge project is at the 60 percent design phase, and the estimated project cost is currently $268.8 million.

Today, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously — though two commissioners were absent — to approve the project’s 60 percent design package as well as suggested community enhancement features.

At today’s meeting, the board also approved an alternate project plan: if the county can’t fill the $22.7 million budget gap, the bridge will be built with an interim interchange on the west side of the river. This will mean making minimal upgrades to the current interchange, but leaving it mostly intact, Cannon said.

The county is hoping to fill the gap with a federal TIGER grant for $22.7 million, but it won’t know about its prospects for that money until early next spring, Cannon said. The county will be submitting its grant application later this month, he said.