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A new Bull Run Bridge is in the works. The Clackamas County project is nearing the design phase and awaiting allocation of funds for construction.

The Bull Run Bridge was constructed in 1894 as a segment of the Burnside Bridge in downtown Portland and was moved in 1926 to its current location carrying Bull Run Road across Bull Run River north of Sandy.

The bridge is a key access point to the Bull Run reservoirs, which provide clean water to over one million people in the Portland area, according to Clackamas County鈥檚 website.

The bridge is nearing the end of its life. In 2021, the bridge closed to trucks weighing more than 12 tons. Also, the roadway was reduced to one lane to extend the bridge鈥檚 life.

A new Bull Run Bridge will be constructed next to the existing one, which will remain during construction and then be demolished after the new bridge is completed. The estimated total project cost is $20 million.

Clackamas County will hire a consultant to perform engineering and design work, said Joel Howie, civil engineering supervisor with the county. Requests for proposals will likely go out in January or February of next year, with design starting in the spring. The design and right-of-way phase will likely take a couple of years.

鈥淚t鈥檚 either probably going to be a single or two-span (bridge),鈥� Howie said, adding that the team is looking at steel splice girders.

A 250-foot, single-span, steel-box-shaped bridge is the only type of structure considered possible with the estimated budget, design criteria and site limitations, according to the county鈥檚 website. However, the team is open to any alternatives the consultant may find.

Because the existing bridge is a historical resource, the project will need to go through environmental review during the design phase, Howie said.

In May, the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners issued approval for staff to formally request the reallocation of previously awarded design funding from Dodge Park Bridge to Bull Run Bridge.

The project was awarded a $2 million Local Bridge Program grant a couple of years ago. Approximately $1.75 million of that is for design and the rest is to acquire right of way needed for eventual construction of the new bridge.

To secure money for construction, the project team has applied for grants and plans to apply soon for another Local Bridge Program grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation. The grant value would be approximately $16.15 million, with a local match of approximately $1.8 million from the County Road Fund. The grant would be awarded in October 2027. The team will look at other grant opportunities as well, Howie said.

If funds were secured, construction could begin in spring 2027. Work would take two years to complete: 18 months for construction of the new bridge, and six months for demolition of the existing one.