
Fir Mountain Road at Neal Creek Bridge Replacement
The Fir Mountain Road at Neal Creek Bridge is located approximately 5 miles south of I-84 and connects directly to State Route OR 35. Fir Mountain Road is primarily a farm-to-market route and a significant crossing of Neal Creek for local residents. The road also provides access for agricultural, timber, and emergency services to the east side of the Hood River valley. The existing bridge is a single-span, multiple-beam structure constructed in 1975 with a span of approximately 26.0 feet in length.
The existing bridge is currently rated in POOR condition due to scour and deck condition issues. During the summer of 2021, a thin asphalt overlay was applied to the concrete bridge deck to mitigate safety concerns caused by deterioration of the deck surface. Epoxy solutions had been applied to the bridge deck prior to the overlay but were unsuccessful as either intermediate or long-term solutions.
In January 2022, RFP No.2022-PW01 (Request for Proposals) was published to solicit qualifications for a professional services consultant to provide survey and engineering services for design of the Fir Mountain Road at Neal Creek Bridge Replacement Project. The selected consultant will be expected to provide a wide range of engineering services, including feasibility evaluation of design options, field data collection, plan design, permitting coordination, and project administration assistance. Additional professional services may be negotiated prior to award of a contract in effort to support the County’s goals. It is expected that Fir Mountain Road will be closed to thru traffic between OR 35 and Eastside Road during construction, however, local access will be maintained and closure of the bridge section will be kept to a minimum. Construction is currently being programmed to occur in either 2024 or 2025. Proposals were due March 10, 2022 and are no longer being accepted.
Project update 04/20/22: Based on the limited proposals received, the project's scope of work is being re-evaluated and may change to incorporate additional bridge repair work. Further information will be posted when available.