Construction on Thornhollow Bridge to begin May 15
Published 9:39 am Thursday, May 8, 2025
- From left, Oregon First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson, Gov. Tina Kotek, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Planning Department Senior Planner Dani Schulte, Planning Director Patty Perry and CTUIR Executive Director J.D. Tovey on April 25, 2024, tour the site of the torn down Thornhollow Bridge on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The tribes expect construction to replace the bridge to start May 15, 2025, with completion scheduled for next spring. (CTUIR/Contributed Photo)
MISSION — The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation reported work on replacing the Thornhollow Bridge is set to begin May 15.
Located about 13 miles east of Mission along Thornhollow Road on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the project consists of installing a new bridge across the Umatilla River and constructing roads to the bridge.
Flooding in February 2020 substantially damaged the bridge, which a Umatilla County contractor removed in 2022. The bridge, up until its destruction, was considered the closest river crossing for those residing north of the river and in the Thornhollow area. With the bridge gone, residents have to detour either north or south of the former bridge.
“Community members have regularly brought up the issue in many venues. Its absence has been very disruptive,” said Dani Schulte, CTUIR Planning Department senior planner. “There are tribal members on one side of the river with elder care responsibilities on the other side of the river. School bus routes have been affected. The bridge replacement will allow improved operations for all these people, as well as for the up-river residents who regularly travel north toward Athena, Weston, Milton-Freewater and Walla Walla.”
Michelle Owen, ODOT Region 5 local agency liaison, said in a news release from the CTUIR the survey work is finished, and contractor HP Civil Inc., of Salem, was expected to begin construction on the ODOT project mid-May.
Owen said because traffic already is detoured, the road would remain closed until the bridge and roadway approaches are finished. Most of the bridge and road work is anticipated to be done by late fall with final paving of the bridge and approaches occurring in the spring.
Overall, the project is budgeted at $5.3 million through ODOT’s Local Bridge Program that includes design engineering, construction, right-of-way and construction engineering costs. The county is providing a 10.27% match.
CTUIR officials are advising residents to avoid swimming and fishing in the area until construction is completed next spring.
