Steven Adkins knew life was going to change when the Sellwood Bridge was moved just that much closer to his
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Steven Adkins knew life was going to change when the Sellwood Bridge was moved just that much closer to his waterfront townhouse three weeks ago.
He just wasn’t prepared for how much.
From inches-thick drifts of pulverized concrete to decreased property values to chest-thumping, round-the-clock noise of cars and trucks thundering over a troublesome new bridge joint, Adkins and dozens of others living in the bridge’s shadow find themselves, very literally, left in the dust.
“Someday, this is going to be a great new bridge,” said Adkins, gazing at the sprawling construction site from his river’s edge patio. “But for right now, for the next three years, it’s going to be unbelievably awful.”
He isn’t alone in that assessment.
Residents in two condominium and townhouse complexes adjacent to the bridge are compiling a growing list of complaints. Dust from the bridge’s demolished east-end approach ramps is everywhere, they say. It’s gummed up raingutters, clogged furnace filters and coated vehicles — even those parked in garages — with a layer of corrosive, lime-bearing grit.
For resident Dorene Petersen, noise from vehicles bumping over the new bridge joint is more disruptive than a marching band practicing in her living room.
County officials and members of the bridge’s contracting team are talking almost daily with concerned residents. The contractor has picked up some of the cleaning bills, although disputes could lie ahead.
In addition, crews in the past two weeks have shut the bridge down twice, temporarily, as they tried to baffle noise from the expansion joint.
Residents, however, say they remain frustrated, especially since the bridge’s permanent replacement won’t be ready for three more years.
Giving up and selling isn’t much of an option, either, some say. Ongoing legal negotiations between Multnomah County and the homeowners associations have banks refusing to make loans for purchases or refinances until things are settled.
The parties have reached a tentative settlement but, for now, prospective sales are mired in legal limbo.
“The only units that have sold in the past two years have been for cash,” said Stephanie Wilde, a real estate agent who lives in one of the townhouses closest to the bridge. “And they’ve been for maybe half of what these units are really worth.”
For all the concern, however, most residents aren’t going overboard in faulting either the county or the contractor and several subcontractors charged with various aspects of the construction.
Representatives from each group meet weekly to talk about everything from how the $307.5 million project is proceeding to the thornier issue of who needs to pay what for costs related to dust abatement.
Some bills for car and gutter cleaning have been picked up, though there are signs that the generosity may be trimmed if residents farthest from the span expect to be compensated on par with those living right below it.
“We are entering a world of negotiation at this point,” county spokesman Mike Pullen said. “And there’s definitely accepting of responsibility by the project that we need to clean up dust that escaped from demolition. But there are also things that could be considered by the average person not part of the dust from the demolition.”
When, in other words, does demolition dust from the bridge evolve into someone else’s spring-cleaning wish list?
“We’re telling people whose cars were affected to get it cleaned, save a copy of the bill, and we’ll forward the bill to the appropriate parties,” said Richard Poulton, Riverpark Homeowners Association president. “We haven’t gotten comment from either side yet whether they will pay it.”
Worries over diminished property values have prompted 28 Riverpark residents to jointly hire real estate broker Steve Anderson to represent them. They hope the county’s Board of Property Tax Appeals will respond by reducing their respective property-tax bills by about 30 percent.
“All they want is a fair shake,” Anderson said. “No one is trying to become a millionaire out of this.”
Sellwood Harbor Condominium Association, of the other complex, has hired former Lake Oswego Mayor Jack Hoffman to represent its interests.
David Austin, a county spokesman, said all claims will be heard on a case-by-case basis.
“We’re good neighbors and good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” he said. “Every accommodation has been made and will be made to make sure this gets built in a safe manner while considering the people around it.”
Residents, for their part, say they are trying to remain patient.