ODOT, city dedicate Three Mile Lane Bridge

Rusty Rae/News-Register##Ribbons of car lights stretch the length of Three Mile Lane Bridge Sunday night in this extended exposure looking southeast. ODOT and city officials dedicated the new span, completed this summer and featuring wider vehicle lanes and pedestrian access on both sides.

City and county officials joined construction workers and representatives of the Oregon Department of Transportation Wednesday to dedicate the new Three Mile Lane Bridge.

“The bridge is a vital link between McMinnville and Highway 18 southeast of the city that carries an average of 16,000 vehicles per day,” said Anna Henson, Area 3 manager for ODOT. She added that use by pedestrians and cyclists has grown over the years.

The bridge, which crosses the Yamhill River from downtown McMinnville to Three Mile Lane, has been under construction since 2021.

Workers built a temporary span parallel to the old bridge, which had gone up in 1951. They also put up a work bridge to support cranes and other equipment.

The older structure, a 35-foot wide bridge supported by wooden tresses, was torn down.

“A bridge like that was designed to last 30 to 40 years,” ODOT Bridge Engineer Paul Strauser said of the old model, in an ODOT press release.

“I’d really like to give credit to the ODOT maintenance crews,” Strauser said. “1951 to 2021 — that bridge lasted 70 years, and that’s twice as long as it was originally intended to last.”

Traffic flowed over the temporary bridge while the new 48-foot wide steel and concrete span was put in place.

The new span has been in use since the fall of 2023. However, traffic was limited to one lane with flaggers at each end for months while the temporary bridge was raised and lights and other finishing touches added to the new one. Technical issues delayed the illumination of the light fixtures until late September; the bridge is now lit up at night.

The final step was restoring the riverbank and seeding the soil. ODOT officials said landscape work likely will continue into early 2025, although that shouldn’t disrupt traffic. Another remaining detail is placement of a new “Welcome to McMinnville” sign at the northeast corner of Three Mile Lane and Brooks Street, which is pending right-of-way and design decisions.

“We were under construction for three years, and I know that’s not without delays and hardship,” Henson said. “But here we have a wider beautiful bridge to help accommodate larger trucks and pedestrians and cyclists safely.”

During the dedication event, McMinnville Mayor Remy Drabkin thanked ODOT and the crews that worked “throughout the night and in rough weather conditions.” They were very mindful of the community, she said.