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Multnomah County for the second time this year has pushed out the start of construction of the Burnside Bridge replacement project, which now is expected to cost nearly twice as much as previously estimated.

After sharing in March a plan to delay the start date by a year to 2028, the county announced Monday in a press release that it is ditching that plan without readiness to identify a new date. The problem is ongoing uncertainty about the availability of federal funds, the county stated.

The effort to replace the 99-year-old Burnside Bridge with a seismically sound one has advanced for years. But the cost estimate 鈥� previously expected to not exceed $895 million 鈥� has remained a hurdle and ballooned to a range of $1.6 billion to $1.8 billion because of rising costs of labor and materials.

Even while seeking federal grant money, the project team spent months on value engineering 鈥� reviewing the project鈥檚 design and construction methods without compromising safety or functionality 鈥� to ensure the maximum value for taxpayer dollars. The team identified nearly $160 million in cost savings by making the design and construction more cost-effective, according to the county.

鈥淲e even revisited the design of the bridge to evaluate whether different choices would still meet the goals of the project at a lower cost,鈥� Multnomah County Transportation Division Director Jon Henrichsen stated in the press release. 鈥淭he team and independent construction industry experts determined there were no major changes that would result in significant聽savings. Between recent increases in construction costs and funding uncertainty, it is not the right time to move forward with construction. We want to proceed cautiously as stewards of public funds.鈥�

The project is currently in design and will reach 60 percent design completion by summer 2026, according to the press release.

A joint venture of Stacy and Witbeck, Traylor Bros. and American Bridge Co. 鈥� under the name Burnside Bridge Partners 鈥� is the construction manager/general contractor for the project. Stacy and Witbeck did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the construction delay.