Multnomah County Courthouse Project Receives $17.4 million in State Funding

Saturday, July 11, 2015

GoLocalPDX News Team

Multnomah County Central Courthouse.

The $250 million Multnomah County Central Courthouse project has been allocated $17.4 million in state funding by Oregon lawmakers. Governor Kate Brown is expected to soon sign House Bill 5005, which outlines the details of the anticipated funds.

Representatives of the Courthouse had previously been pushing for funds that would improve the structure's safety. The Courthouse was built between 1909 and 1914 and is now considered to be structurally and functionally obsolete.

“We are thankful that the Oregon Legislature recognizes the urgent need to replace our seismically deficient courthouse,” said Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury. “We appreciate the strong support from state lawmakers, particularly Senate President Peter Courtney, House Speaker Tina Kotek, Senator Richard Devlin, and Representative Jennifer Williamson. In addition the county’s budget this year includes $28 million for this vital project.”

“The safety of this building is something we think about every day,” said Multnomah County Presiding Judge Nan Waller. “With more than 600,000 people walking through its doors annually, its replacement will help ensure the smooth operation of our judicial system well into the future.”

New Courthouse Plans

The Multnomah Board of County Commissioners decided in April that the new courthouse will be built along the west end of Hawthorne Bridge.

Construction is slated to begin in 2017, with a completely functional courthouse expected to open by 2020.

Related Slideshow: 11 Oregon Highway Construction Projects You Should Know About

The changing of seasons from rainy season to dry season ushers in road construction. But you don’t have to get caught in a traffic tangle because no one told you. Here are 11 Oregon highway construction projects you should know about.

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11.

I-5 (Pacific Highway): Seismic retrofit of OR 99W bridge over I-5. MP 295. Intermittent closure of I-5 northbound truck lane and I-5 northbound on-ramp from OR 99W. Expected completion: 11/2015.

Click HERE for more information.

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10.

I-5 (Pacific Highway): Install about 300 new green highway signs and new sign structures on I-5 in Portland N. Lombard Street to SW Corbett Avenue, and on the Fremont Bridge. MP 299 to 305. All lanes and ramps open days with occasional full night closures. Expected completion: 12/2015.

Click HERE for more information.

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9.

I-5 (Pacific Highway): Pave I-5 in both directions from the Marquam Bridge to SW Capitol Highway. MP 294 to 301. All lanes open days with some night closures and occasional full closures. Expected ompletion: 12/2015.

Click HERE for more information.

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8.

I-205 (East Portland Freeway): Construction continues on Sunrise Corridor Project, a new limited access highway from OR 224 at I-205 to SE 122nd Avenue at OR 212/224, and a new I-205 overcrossing linking 82ndAvenue and 82nd Drive. MP 13. No closures on I-205 or OR 212/224 but delays on nearby roads. Expected completion: 9/2016.

Click HERE for more information.

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7.

U.S. 26 (Sunset Highway): Widen the Brookwood Parkway overpass, add new exit ramps, new bike lanes and new sidewalks, and extend the right turn lane to eastbound U.S. 26. MP 61. Occasional night lane closures on Brookwood, Helvetia, U.S. 26 and ramps. Expected completion: 9/2015.

Click HERE for more information.

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6.

OR 99E (SE McLoughlin Boulevard): Safety improvements at SE Vineyard Road include a new traffic signal, new pedestrian island, new ADA ramps and improved lighting. MP 8.7. Day lane and shoulder closures, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and nights, 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., with delays of all lanes up to 20 minutes controlled by flaggers. Expected completion 9/2015.

Click HERE for more information.

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5.

OR 99W (North Denver Avenue): A year-long series of improvements including road and ramp realignments, new traffic signals, new railings, new crash barriers, new grade separated bike and pedestrian connections to the 40 Mile Loop and a road new surface. MP -4.7 to -5.5. Southbound Denver Avenue closed periodically with some re-routing of bike and pedestrian routes. Expected completion: 12/2015.

Click HERE for more information.

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4.

OR 99W (Pacific Highway): Rehabilitation of the bridge over the Tualatin River, between King City and Tualatin, with repairs, rust removal and re-painting. MP 12.2. Intermittent closures of the southbound lane. Completion: 10/2015.

Click HERE for more information.

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3.

OR 8 (Tualatin Valley Highway): Minter Bridge Road to 331st Avenue, grinding, paving and restriping; reconstructing parts of TV Highway, upgrading curb ramps, improving signs, Hillsboro city utility upgrades. MP 11.3 to 14.7. Day and night delays with lane closures and occasional weekend intersection closures. Expected completion: Fall 2015.

Click HERE for more information:

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2.

U.S. 26 (Mount Hood Highway): Improve safety on eight-mile stretch, cutting back slopes, adding a center barrier and paving. MP 49 to 57. Work will occur Monday through Saturday at all hours. Occasional blasting, lane closures, traffic stops lasting 20 minutes and road closures up to an hour, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., three days a week, Monday through Thursday. Expected completion: 11/2016.

Click HERE for more information:

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1.

I-205 (East Portland Freeway): Increasing the vertical clearance of the Strawberry Lane overcrossing by 18 inches with seismic retrofitting and re-paving. MP 12. Night closures of right and left lanes, both directions, of I-205 during work with closures of the Strawberry Lane overcrossing. Expected completion: 9/2015.

Click HERE for more information.