A nod to the bridge designers

From ODOT-

We have talked a lot about the construction of the new Interstate 5 Willamette River Bridge, but who is responsible for designing and engineering this graceful and significant structure?



The design team is led by OBEC Consulting Engineers, based in Eugene.



OBEC was created in 1966 as the design arm of Hamilton Construction, our main builder for this project. OBEC, then known as Oregon Bridge Engineering Company, and Hamilton originally performed design-build work for the timber industry. OBEC later separated from Hamilton in order to pursue a wider range of projects.



OBEC has engineered many bridges in the Eugene-Springfield area, including the structures in the Beltline Highway project, the Ferry Street Bridge project, the DeFazio Bridge, the Delta Ponds Pedestrian Bridge and the I-5 Gateway Pedestrian Bridge. OBEC also worked on the McKenzie River (Spores) to Goshen Grade project to repair two and replace five bridges between Coburg and Creswell.



To design the large Willamette River Bridge, OBEC teamed with 18 subcontractors, all but one of which is based in Oregon. They ranged from transportation planners and landscape architects to public involvement, geology, archaeology and environmental experts.



While their work on the major bridge design is largely complete, OBEC continues to participate in the design enhancement process and on any design or engineering refinements that need to be made during construction.