Traffic Advisory: Bridge replacement preparations require weekend closures of NE Lombard Street, May 1 to May 4, and other weekends coming soon

Published

April 29, 2026 9:13 am

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(April 29, 2026) -- The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) advises the traveling public that NE Lombard Street will be closed Friday night, May 1, through early Monday morning, May 4, for work that will replace the 42nd Avenue bridge over the highway and install safety improvements on the bridge as well as on NE Lombard Street.

Starting at 10 p.m. on Friday, May 1, NE Lombard Street (US 30 Bypass) will be closed to through traffic between NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and NE 82nd Avenue. NE Lombard Street is expected to be reopened by 4 a.m. on Monday, May 4.

Freight and regional travelers going between North Portland and Interstate 205 should plan to use NE Columbia Boulevard. During the closure hours, detour signs will direct travelers to NE Columbia Boulevard. See the detour map below.

The weekend closure will need to be repeated at least seven times through the end of 2027, to make way for bridge demolition and replacement. Another closure is expected by mid-June pending final approval by ODOT.

Closures are required for the NE 42nd Avenue Bridge Replacement, which will make a seismically safe crossing for an emergency route and provide better access for freight, pedestrians, and people biking on the bridge and NE Lombard Street below the span.

During the weekend closure of NE Lombard Street, the road will be closed to through traffic. This map shows the detour route for regional travelers, directing them to use NE Columbia Boulevard. Seven more weekend closures will be needed through 2027. Map by PBOT.

During the weekend closure, local access to area homes and businesses east and west of the bridge will remain available. Travelers will be able to go east on Lombard as far as NE 42nd Avenue but will then see the closure and be forced to go south on NE 42nd.

The traveling public is advised to expect delays, travel cautiously, observe all closures and directions by flaggers, and use alternate routes if possible. Local access to residences and businesses will remain available. For months, PBOT staff have been notifying area businesses and residents of this and other work coming soon.

While NE Lombard Street is closed, crews will complete paving, striping, and barrier installation in preparation for demolition of the NE 42nd Avenue Bridge.

This work is weather-dependent, and the schedule may change.

The current road configuration under the bridge includes two travel lanes in each direction. Following the weekend closure, NE Lombard Street will reopen with a temporary configuration with one lane in each direction.

The lane reduction will make a safe work zone for crews with Cascade Bridge, PBOT's contractor, as they remove the old bridge and replace it with a new one over the course of the coming months.

At least seven more weekend closures of NE Lombard will be required before the bridge replacement project is complete, expected in 2027.

PBOT's contractor, Cascade Bridge, began construction in August of 2025 with a full bridge closure that will remain in place for approximately two years.

NE Lombard Street is a state highway, owned and operated by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). ODOT is helping fund part of the project to make bike safety improvements on Lombard, and the two agencies are coordinating closely on safety for the work zone and detours during construction.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is constructing a new earthquake-ready bridge to provide better access for freight, pedestrians, and people biking. Bridge will fill the gap between the Holman Neighborhood Greenway and the NE 47th Avenue protected bikeway.

Sign up for email updates, and learn more about the schedule for more closures of NE Lombard Street, and the safety improvements coming soon at the NE 42nd Avenue Bridge Replacement website.