Carlton’s Hawn Creek Bridge repaired

Starla Pointer/News-Register##Traffic is flowing again over the Hawn Creek Bridge at the east edge of Carlton. Crews shored up the bridge after finding a damaged support beam, which led to reduced speed for several months. The bridge carries hundred of vehicles per day heading to and from Carlton from Hendricks Road.

The Hawn Creek Bridge at the east end of Carlton has reopened following repairs to wooden supports that had dry rot and showed evidence of crushing, according to Yamhill County Public Works.

The bridge, which carries traffic on East Main Street and Hendricks Road, is the only entrance to or exit from Carlton on the east side. Without the bridge, traffic headed to or from the Newberg area must take a lengthy detour just east of the bridge through Yamhill or via Highway 47, Gun Club Road and Old McMinnville Highway.

The bridge carries about 3,000 trips per day with passenger vehicles, trucks and farm equipment.

When the state bridge engineer inspected the Hawn Creek Bridge in 2024, he noted the damaged support beam and ordered the span closed.

However, county Public Works Director Mark Lago worked with the state to place a 23-ton weight restriction on the span instead of closing it entirely. The county built a temporary support structure in November 2024 to shore up the bridge so it could stay open with the weight restriction.

Once water receded from Hawn Creek and the ground around the bridge dried, county staff resumed work, improving the shoring under the bridge. They were able to lift the bridge deck enough to remove the damaged beam and replace it with a steel one.

“Wood beams are about half the cost of the steel, but the steel will last four times as long,” Lago said. “The steel beam is expected to last 75 years or more while the wood beam has a usable life of around 25 years.”

The bridge was closed last week Monday afternoon and Tuesday for the work.

Lago said it was important to complete the repair early in the summer, before surrounding farms begin moving equipment for the harvest. The repaired span also reduces traffic on other area roads.