TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Keith Stahley, City Manager
FROM: Brian D. Martin, PE, Public Works Director
SUBJECT:
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Oregon Department of Transportation Local Bridge Program Project Requests for the 2027-2030 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program
Ward(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7
Councilor(s): All Councilors
Neighborhood(s): CANDO, SCAN, Southeast Mill Creek, and Southeast Salem
Result Area(s): Safe, Reliable and Efficient Infrastructure
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SUMMARY:
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The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) requested applications from local agencies for bridge projects eligible for Federal Funding in 2027-2030 under ODOT’s Local Bridge Program (LBP). This program provides replacement and rehabilitation funding of local agency bridges on the Federal National Bridge Inventory list. The City has submitted applications to fund rehabilitation or replacement of four local bridges.
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RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Information Only
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FACTS AND FINDINGS:
ODOT sent a Tentative Eligibility List of bridges to local agencies in July 2023. Public Works staff reviewed the list of Salem’s 27 eligible bridges which included 5 eligible for replacement and 22 for rehabilitation. This is a significant increase from 2020 when the City had 2 replacement and 11 rehabilitation eligible bridges.
Working with DOWL Engineering, staff developed a recommendation list and submitted the following bridges for funding:
1. Turner Road SE over Mill Creek - $15.4 million replacement project. This 66-year-old bridge provides the main connection to the City of Turner.
2. Church Street SE over Pringle Creek - $2.9 million rehabilitation project to fix bridge rails, concrete deck, and substructure cracking. This 94-year-old historic bridge is adjacent to Pringle Park near the Salem Hospital.
3. Airport Road SE over Shelton Ditch - $8.5 million replacement project. This 69-year-old bridge is functionally obsolete due to its narrow width. It also lacks pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
4. Liberty Street SE over Pringle Creek - $40.3 million replacement project. This 95-year-old historic bridge is experiencing scour concerns and additional concrete degradation at multiple locations.
Draft applications were received from the consultant on November 1 and they were submitted to ODOT on November 6. We would have preferred to share this information with City Council prior to submitting the applications but ran out of time.
The selection of projects for funding will follow a lengthy process with ranking statewide needs and then scoping and estimating selected candidates. ODOT will work with the Local Area Bridge Selection Committee (LABSC) to prioritize the bridges applied for and prepare a scoping list for selected bridges in April 2024. The LABSC will make funding recommendations for 2027-2030 funding in early 2025. If any of the City’s applied for bridges are selected for federal funding, staff will return with a staff report to Council for approval to negotiate an Intergovernmental Agreement with ODOT and seek approval prior to proceeding with additional work. The local match for these projects would be funded with the City’s share of State Gas Tax revenues or bond savings.
BACKGROUND:
The increase in eligible local bridges is indicative of the general trend and possible future needs of Salem’s bridge system. 19 of the City’s 58 bridges are greater than 90 years old and bridges are normally designed for a 100-year design life. The average age of the City’s bridges is 63 years old.
Allen Dannen, PE
City Engineer
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