Stringtown Road remains closed for a third day; tree was 'infested with ants'

Thursday update at 4 p.m.: Stringtown Road has reopened.

Stringtown Road remained closed Thursday for a third day since a massive cottonwood tree fell into utility lines and crashed into the bridge over Gales Creek, damaging the bridge railing and structure.

"At this point, our estimated timeline for reopening depends on the structural inspection being conducted by David Evans and Associates this afternoon," said Washington County Land Use and Transportation spokesperson Emma Ross.

A site visit yielded additional information from Watts Tree Service employees.

The big update Thursday morning was that the tree had been removed. Crews were still in the area with a mobile crane after pulling the cottonwood off the bridge.

The tree fell because it was “infested with ants,” said Daniel “Mayo Dan” Benham, a groundsman for the company, who described himself as a secondary climber in training.

He said the impact had dropped part of the bridge about 6 inches. As to its drivability, he deferred to the county.

"Safety is our highest priority, and the road will reopen as soon as the bridge is fully cleared for both vehicle and pedestrian traffic," Ross said.

Benham said the tree had been lifted with the crane, turned lengthwise to run down the road, delimbed, cut in half and placed back near where it had grown.

The cottonwood, an old, massive tree, fell from the south shore of Gales Creek, collapsing utility lines carrying electricity and internet service to Ziply Fiber customers in the area Tuesday morning.

The tree struck the bridge and the bulk of its trunk collapsed directly across both lanes, damaging the concrete railing on the 184-foot bridge.

Moments later, more than 150 Portland General Electric customers lost power, which has since been restored.

Visit wc-roads.com for the current status of the road closure.

This story was updated Thursday afternoon with further information from Washington County LUT.