Franklin Avenue Bridge Project
Construction Begins

The City of Astoria is beginning construction on a project to replace the Franklin Avenue Bridge over 38th Street in the Adair-Uppertown historic district. Granite Northwest, Inc., of Vancouver, Wash., has been awarded a $3.3 million construction contract to build the project. Construction is scheduled to be complete by late spring of 2011. The city invites the public to drop by to meet the contractor, view the bridge design and learn about vehicular and pedestrian access plans during construction:

The current Franklin Ave. trestle bridge was built in 1949 from wooden timbers, which typically have a 35 to 50-year lifespan. A new bridge design was chosen by the Astoria City Council at the end of 2008. The new structure will be a two-span concrete bridge with an arched support, arched railings and historic-style streetlights. The design is intended to blend in with the historic neighborhood and incorporates public input received by the project team.

Approximately 90% of the project funds are coming from the Federal Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program and it is administered by the Oregon Department of Transportation. The balance of the funding is provided by the City of Astoria's portion of the Oregon state gas tax and vehicle fees, which are dedicated to transportation purposes. Property, income, or City's local gas taxes are not used for this project.

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