The new Rock Creek Bridge on NW Cornelius Pass Road opened to traffic Friday, Oct. 9. The $6.5 million bridge replaces a 1946 structure on a key route between Bethany and points north.

The bridge sits about 0.7 mile north of the intersection with NW Germantown Road, roughly three miles north of U.S. 26. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) announced the reopening after months of full road closures and detours that rerouted commuters through Germantown and Kaiser roads.

The road is open. But drivers should expect intermittent lane closures through the end of October as crews finish seeding, planting and final pavement markings, according to Washington County's project page.

Construction began in April 2026. The road was fully closed between Germantown Road and Kaiser Road starting July 15, with the closure originally scheduled to end Sept. 29. It was extended twice, first to Oct. 7 and then to Oct. 9, according to Washington County project updates.

The old bridge was too narrow for modern traffic and could not accommodate heavy trucks, KATU reported in July. The replacement is a single-span bridge with two vehicle lanes and wide shoulders built to support freight traffic.

The project is part of a broader jurisdictional shift. NW Cornelius Pass Road has transferred from Washington County to ODOT and is now designated OR 127.

The Oregon Legislature mandated the transfer as part of House Bill 2017, signed by then-Gov. Brown in 2017, because legislators believed ODOT was better positioned to make major improvements, according to a Multnomah County news release. Once the bridge project wraps up, ODOT will take over all future maintenance.

Cornelius Pass Road is one of the few routes connecting Washington County with Columbia and Multnomah counties and carries significant truck traffic, according to Multnomah County.

ODOT provided $5.6 million in federal and state bridge funds. Washington County lists the remaining local share at $1 million from the Major Street Transportation Improvement Program (MSTIP). KATU reported a $1.3 million local share from Metro's Regional Flexible Funding Allocation and Washington County's Road Capital Fund.

Drivers can check current conditions at TripCheck.com before traveling through the corridor.