Hole found in I-84 span near Hood River

PORTLAND – A 2-by-3-foot hole was discovered in the roadway of an Interstate 84 bridge in the Columbia Gorge on Friday, but the Oregon Department of Transportation said the bridge was still safe.

Traffic was expected to be delayed as repair crews went to work and new concrete cured. A department spokesman, Don Hamilton, said one lane and an on-ramp could be closed for as long as 72 hours.

The bridge consists of two spans crossing Hood River at the town of the same name.

The hole was in an eastbound lane. It was discovered about 9 a.m., and there were no reports of damage to vehicles or injuries, Hamilton said. He said a lattice of steel underlies the concrete roadway.

The bridge dates to 1953, and a new deck was constructed in 1994-1997.

The bridge is considered obsolete because it’s not wide enough and needs paint, he said, but it is not among the nearly 90 Oregon Department of Transportation bridges considered “structurally deficient,” meaning they have deteriorated to the point their load capacities must be reduced.