The Sellwood solution?

• Bechtel has designs on building a new bridge but funding still is a question

By Ben Jacklet

The Portland Tribune, May 13, 2005, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Bechtel Infrastructure Co., the huge construction and engineering company that built the airport MAX light-rail line, has submitted a proposal to Multnomah County to build a new Sellwood Bridge.

The county received Bechtel’s unsolicited plan April 29, and while the document is confidential, Bechtel representatives confirmed that the proposal would add new lanes to the bridge, repair its structure and improve access for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.

The plan calls for a public-private partnership, meaning the company would collaborate with the county from the beginning and provide early ideas about how to pull off the project and pay for it, rather than waiting for the county to request proposals.

Using such a partnership instead of the traditional bidding process would finish the job 10 years sooner, estimated Doug Riggs, a Bechtel spokesman based in Portland.

“There’s a need to get this done,” he said, “and if we can do it quicker, it’s a cost savings.”

As it stands, the 80-year-old bridge is inhospitable to walkers and bikers and cannot support large trucks, emergency vehicles and buses because of new weight limits. But building a new bridge would cost about $90 million, and the county is short on cash.

County Commissioner Maria Rojo de Steffey said it was the first time to her knowledge that the county had received an unsolicited proposal for such a large project. She said the county would not proceed with Bechtel without making sure that other companies get a chance to compete.

“If it looks interesting and looks like something that could work for us, we’ll put it out to bid,” Rojo de Steffey said.

“I would love it if Bechtel or another company could help us speed up the process of fixing the bridge,” she added.

Dave Boyer, the county’s chief financial officer, said he and two procurement specialists were reviewing the Bechtel proposal “to see if it’s worthwhile.”

Creative financing

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