ODOT crews first oil and then grease by hand the cables that keep the lift apparatus on the aging bridge operating properly, part of the regular bridge maintenance

PORTLAND — ODOT crews will soon begin their regular oiling and greasing of 6.5 miles of Interstate Bridge cables and that means occasional overnight bridge span lifts on two upcoming Friday nights.

ODOT crews first oil and then grease by hand the cables that keep the lift apparatus on the aging bridge operating properly, part of the regular bridge maintenance. The cables are used to raise and lower the bridge spans.

Here is the closure schedule.

• At 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17 both the northbound and southbound spans of the bridge will see intermittent lifts while crews oil the cables. The lifts, lasting no more than 20 minutes at a time, will continue until 5 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 16.
• At 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 23, both the northbound and southbound spans of the bridge will see intermittent lifts while crews grease the cables. The lifts, lasting no more than 20 minutes at a time, will continue until 5 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 24.

The two spans will not be raised at the same time, leaving one sidewalk open at all times for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The detour for southbound traffic is State Route 14 east to Interstate 205 and the Glenn Jackson Bridge south to Oregon.

The detour for northbound traffic is Interstate 84 east to I-205 north over the Glenn Jackson Bridge into Washington.

The Interstate Bridge is jointly owned by Oregon and Washington and the two states share the cost of operations. The northbound span opened in 1917 and the southbound span in 1958. ODOT operates and maintains the bridge.

To see a video of the cable greasing go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLNLFCWz28c

Information provided by Oregon Department of Transportation.