4 Faulty Oregon Highway Bridges Being Demolished

Bridge supports were demolished Monday near Eddyville, Ore., in the latest development in the over-budget, behind-schedule project to realign about six miles of Highway 20 through the Coast Range.

The Oregon Department of Transportation is demolishing four bridges that are unstable because of landslides.

The Register-Guard reports the four bridges cost nearly $18 million to build. Demolishing them costs another $877,000.

The project on the highway between Corvallis and Newport began in 2005 and was supposed to cost $129. After a switch in contractors, the estimated price tag is up to $303 million, and the work won’t be completed until 2015 – six years behind schedule.