Here we go again!

From ODOT-

Now that all Interstate 5 traffic is crossing the Willamette River on a new bridge, our focus has shifted to tearing down the temporary detour bridge, with Staton Companies of Eugene playing the starring role.



Much of the material from the temporary detour bridge will be recycled or reused in other projects. This includes more than 300 girders—some of reinforced concrete and some of steel. Crews will move the girders to nearby storage yards until they are needed to build other bridges. Watch for lots of trucks entering and leaving the site as we move the girders.



We will demolish the bridge piers once the deck and girders are gone. Workers will cut the piers off flat at the river bottom and lift them out of the water.



We’ll also start demolishing the temporary Canoe Canal Bridge, north of the Willamette River Bridge. However, we’ll keep a portion of it up until mid-2012 to provide access to other parts of the construction project.



We expect the majority of the demolition to be complete by early 2012. We’ll then build the piers for the new northbound bridge, starting with cofferdams at each pier location to facilitate construction under water.



As we move forward, we’ll explain these steps in more detail and post more one-of-a-kind pictures here on our blog.