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The Burnside Bridge replacement project has a new name: 2024-060617-000-00-EA.

It may not be catchy, but that鈥檚 the $895 million project鈥檚 identity in the city of Portland permitting system.

The existence of a new land use case, posted by Portland Permitting & Development on Monday, is a bureaucratic milestone that may indicate Multnomah County is getting closer to building the key span in downtown Portland.

A design advice meeting may follow in the coming weeks. The Portland Historic Landmarks Commission would then comment on early designs through a briefing.

The county鈥檚 request revealed the local government is not looking to reinvent the bridge.

鈥淭he proposed project would replace the existing Burnside Bridge with a new movable bridge in approximately the same location, length and height as the existing bridge,鈥� the filing states.

The county鈥檚 Board of Commissioners is expected to make a final decision on the bridge type 鈥� several variations of cable-stay and arch designs are under consideration 鈥� later this summer, following a mid-August recommendation by the Community Design Advisory Group that was formed in 2023 to evaluate the project. A public survey is open through July 31.

The target date to begin early construction activities for the project 鈥� officially the Earthquake Ready Burnside Bridge 鈥� is 2026, according to Multnomah County Public Information Officer Sarah Hurwitz. Those activities would include “bicycle, pedestrian and transit improvements on detour routes during the closure of the bridge,” she stated. Demolition of the existing bridge is expected to start as early as 2027, pending funding, she added.

The project team includes lead design consultant HDR, U.K.-based bridge designer BEAM Architects, and construction manager/general contractor Burnside Bridge Partners 鈥� a joint venture of Stacy and Witbeck, Traylor Bros. and American Bridge Co.