Roseburg council authorizes ODOT IGA amendment for Veterans bridge rehab, asks staff to press SHPO on paint color

Roseburg City Council on April 22 authorized a requested amendment to the intergovernmental agreement with the Oregon Department of Transportation to move forward with rehabilitation work on the Stewart Park Drive South (Veterans) bridge, a 1933 cantilever truss structure cited by staff as in need of urgent repair.

Public Works staff told the council the bridge currently carries a low sufficiency rating and has a posted load rating of about 12 tons. Staff said designers are working to improve the rating, with a target of at least 22 tons so city fire apparatus can cross the structure. The rehabilitation scope includes deck repairs, strengthening pin‑and‑hanger connections, replacing a timber walkway, adding an ADA handrail on the west side, and repainting the metal structure.

“The State Historic Preservation Office is requesting that the bridge be painted its original black color,” Public Works staff said during the presentation. That recommendation prompted concern from residents and several councilors who said the bridge has been painted the region's familiar ODOT green for decades.

Councilor comments mixed preservation and safety concerns. One resident who spoke during public comment, Dale Greenlee, urged the council to retain the bridge’s green paint, saying, “I would really like to see it stay ODOT Green because that's a famous color that is disappearing.” Councilors acknowledged the aesthetic and historic arguments but repeatedly weighed them against the risk of delaying a federally funded rehabilitation.

Staff told the council the project is scheduled to go out to bid in August 2024 with a notice to proceed in October 2024 and warned that reopening negotiations over color or other scope items could delay the federal obligation timeline and increase costs. Staff also said the city’s match to the federal grant recently increased and that the city has reserved surface transportation block grant funds to meet match requirements.

After discussion, councilors moved to authorize execution of Amendment No. 1 to the ODOT IGA so the project can proceed on schedule. The motion carried. Immediately afterward, a second motion — which the council approved — directed staff to continue to press SHPO and ODOT, with the council’s backing, to consider retaining the bridge’s ODOT green color if that can be done without jeopardizing federal funding or the project timeline.

Next steps: staff will finalize the amendment paperwork with ODOT, prepare the project for an August 2024 bid, and continue outreach to SHPO and VA‑district stakeholders about color options and any potential design impact.

Actions: Council authorized Amendment No. 1 to the ODOT intergovernmental agreement for the Stewart Park Drive South/Umpqua bridge rehabilitation (motion carried), and separately directed staff to pursue reconsideration of the paint color with SHPO (motion carried).