PENDLETON â Umatilla County residents could see the Thorn Hollow Bridge on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation replaced much sooner than previously anticipated, as county and state officials have made new plans to immediately begin demolishing and rebuilding the flood-damaged roadway.
Officials in a press conference on Wednesday, March 10, said that, if all goes well, whatâs left of the bridge could be demolished as early as this year, with hopes that construction will follow soon thereafter.
The bridge, which was damaged and rendered impassable in the aftermath of the Umatilla River flooding in February 2020, sits nearest to the town of Adams. The bridge is part of local school bus routes and is a main access point to Highway 11. The closest alternate river crossing sits about 5 miles west, officials said in the press conference.