The left and center lanes of the Interstate 5 Bridge will be closed from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. Sunday as crews place a noise cannon above the roadway.
Oregon Department of Transportation workers will close the lanes while workers install the propane-driven orchard cannon as part of an annual effort to divert starlings from the two spans of the I-5 bridge, according to a news release from ODOT.
Starlings, an invasive species, migrate to the area each fall and many roost on the bridge’s lift spans, creating a mess for those driving, walking and working on the bridge.
To keep the birds from becoming accustomed to a schedule, the cannon will not be fired every day, but bridge users and those nearby may hear the cannon boom as often as once every 15 seconds starting Thursday and ending March 16.
