Cochran Bridge. (Courtesy photo: Multnomah County)

Next week a roadway will close so crews can rebuild bridge approaches that have been damaged, causing toxins to seep into a nearby wetland.

Multnomah County Transportation will close Southeast Cochran Road between Northeast Paloma Avenue and South Troutdale Road for several months to rebuild a portion of roadway at the Cochran Road Bridge over Beaver Creek.

The work starts at 7 a.m. Monday, June 23. Signs will detour traffic onto Southeast Stark Street. The project will continue until early winter.

Construction crews will demolish and rebuild the road surface, shoulder, guardrail, storm drains, retaining wall, and French drains. Damaged soil will be removed and replaced with clean alternatives. Trees, shrubs, and other native plants will be replanted.

All this was spurred when the county learned that low-density cellular concrete was causing high pH discharge into Beaver Creek. That was used during a previous project, and the leaching into the creek and nearby wetland was caught in 2019.

The county stopped the immediate problem. This project is the final step in remediation. It costs the county between $4-5 million, with money pulled from the County Road Fund.