Get the scoop on park improvements in the latest Behind the Orange Cones video

From ODOT-

The parkland surrounding the Interstate 5: Willamette River Bridge project is much beloved by athletes, commuters and reflective outdoor enthusiasts. These same park paths and natural areas also play a very important role in our construction story.



To film our latest online video, I relished the opportunity to spend part of my day capturing how we’ve worked to protect, enhance and improve this beautiful area, including its many paths and waterways.



In this video, you will learn that while construction has led to temporary impacts to Alton Baker Park and the Whilamut Natural Area; it will lead to valuable improvements when the bridge work is done.



We highlight the importance of the parkland around the bridge and show what construction crews are doing now and will accomplish in the future. These improvements include stream restoration and a temporary fish ladder, informative kiosks and visual enhancements along the Canoe Canal path and waterway.



Please enjoy watching and feel free to post your comments and questions.

Whilamut Passage Bridge Naming Ceremony – you’re invited!

From ODOT-

I’m inviting everyone to join the ODOT project team, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and community volunteers to officially name the new Interstate 5 Willamette River Bridge.



The ceremony will be at 11 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 29, at the Whilamut Natural Area, northwest of the Knickerbocker Bridge in Alton Baker Park. It will include brief remarks, traditional tribal presentations and an unveiling of the new Whilamut Passage Bridge highway sign.



Our citizen volunteers have worked with tribal leaders and ODOT since 2009 to officially name the Whilamut Passage Bridge. At this long-anticipated event, we will celebrate their effort and that of the tribal representatives who have been instrumental in ensuring that the area’s first people, the Kalapuya, are honored in the name and design of the new bridge and surrounding area.

How to get there: on the south side of the river, park your vehicle at the University of Oregon Motor Pool, 3233 Franklin Blvd. (see map above). Please allow 20 minutes to walk to the ceremony. Follow the signs that point the way from the parking lot. A courtesy shuttle will be available upon request.



I also encourage you to ride your bike there. The park has many nice paths for you to ride to the event and we will have a place designated for bicycle parking.



Keep your fingers crossed for sunny fall weather and I hope to see you there!

South bank stream restoration takes advantage of the dry season

From ODOT-

During the summer, the waterways on the south bank of the Willamette River near the bridge construction zone are barely visible.



That makes summer the perfect time to restore and enhance the stream located between the south bank pedestrian path and the river. The improved stream will better collect and cleanse runoff flowing into the river during the rainy months. It will enhance fish habitat and migration, too.





Workers are clearing out overgrowth and creating a new stream channel along the south bank of the Willamette River.



The stream has been flowing through concrete pipes and an overgrown open channel. Fish were having a tough time using the stream, so we installed a temporary fish ladder earlier this year to help fish migrate from the river to Laurel Hill Valley and other points to the south. When stream restoration is complete, the temporary fish ladder will be removed because it will no longer be needed.



We’re clearing brush and other material to create an open channel. Large boulders are being installed along the banks and in the streambed to protect the new drainage and create habitat for stream life. We’ll soon install native plants to help protect the banks from erosion during the winter and provide cooling shade in the summer.





Workers are installing large boulders and rocks in the streambed and making other enhancements to improve riparian habitat.



The new, improved streambed contrasts sharply with the old culvert pipes upstream. The pipes will be removed to improve flow of runoff and restore the drainage to a more natural state.

We’ll continue the restoration and enhancement work farther south to restore wetlands and the upland stream system, resulting in a more natural setting that can better support fish and wildlife habitat.



All the work on the south bank will be finished in early 2014. Just in time for the wettest winter months.

The next set of arches takes shape.

From ODOT-

We hear many positive comments about the graceful arches that support the new Interstate 5 bridge over the Willamette River. Currently, all I-5 traffic crosses the river on the new southbound bridge, supported by four arches.



Now our contractor is focused on building the four arches for the new northbound bridge. The first pair of arches stretches from the center of the river to the north. The arches will take about a year to construct. Then, crews will build the bridge roadway deck on top of them.

Looking north toward the riverbank, you can see the arch falsework that will form the arches for the new northbound bridge and the concrete columns that will soon help support the bridge deck. The matching southbound bridge is in the background.





To build the arches, concrete, poured in a series, fills in the falsework form around the rebar framework, and then is allowed to cure before the next pour higher up the arch. It will take many pours to reach the top of the arches. The smallest pour is the first 28 feet of the arch beginning at the bottom. The largest pour is 103 feet long, reaching to the top of the arch.

The wooden arch falsework supports the rebar skeleton of the arch for the second concrete pour.





Workers will follow the same process to build the arches from the center of the river to the south bank. After all the concrete is poured and cured, the arches will be ready for the final step of jacking them apart and filling in the remaining space with concrete. Then work on the deck will start.

Preparing for the best

From ODOT-

More than 1,000 of America’s top track and field athletes and over 350,000 spectators will converge on historic Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus June 21 through July 1 for the 2012 U.S. Olympic trials.



ODOT is working with local businesses to ensure that construction of the Willamette River Bridge does not affect travelers going to this important event.



For our most significant impact, the two-year closure of the off-ramp from Interstate 5 northbound to Franklin Boulevard, we installed numerous directional signs that make it easy for travelers to follow an alternate route. The signs avoid using the word detour, so visitors see it as the obvious route.

A full house at Hayward Field during the 2008 Olympic trials. Photo courtesy of eugenecascadescoast.org.

Other than seeing the bridge under construction, visitors can reach Hayward Field and other destinations without being delayed by our project. This is because contractors will avoid lane restrictions and other impacts to Franklin Boulevard traffic during the trials.

The Olympic trials take place at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus. Hayward Field was originally constructed as a football stadium in 1919 and is now recognized as a world-class track and field facility. The university has hosted five U.S. Olympic trials.

For more information, visit http://www.tracktown12.gotracktownusa.com/.

 

Banks of the Willamette River improved

From ODOT-

Making the area better than we found it is a primary goal of the Willamette River Bridge project. Restoration of newly created open space, as described below, is just one example of the actions we are taking to achieve this goal.



In 2002, an engineering analysis identified the need to replace the bridge. In 2004, a temporary bridge provided an interim solution, allowing Interstate 5 to be reopened to freight traffic. To build the temporary bridge, ODOT acquired additional right of way to the east of the existing I-5 lanes and bridge and installed embankment material to support the temporary roadway.



The area is adjacent to the Eastgate Woodlands of the Whilamut Natural Area. An agreement between ODOT and Willamalane Park and Recreation District established conditions for the use and the restoration of the area once the project is complete.



Now that the detour bridge is gone, much of the embankment has been hauled away. We will remove the remaining material after the temporary Canoe Canal Bridge is disassembled in June. Restoration and enhancement of the area will complete this part of the project.



We will add native plants and an irrigation system for watering in the dry summer months. Native trees, shrubs and grasses will replace non-native species, which thrived in the area before construction began.

Most of the embankment material is now gone from this area just east of I-5 looking north.



When the temporary Canoe Canal Bridge is demolished, the remaining embankment material will be removed. The guardrails on the temporary bridge can be seen on the top of the embankment.



The first shaft for the viaduct path is under construction.

From ODOT-  By early 2014, improvements to the park paths near the new Willamette River Bridges will be complete.  The most significant change, a new viaduct path on the south bank of the Willamette River, will replace the current path that connects to the south side of Franklin Boulevard, east of the bridges.



Bridge beams reused from the Interstate 5 detour bridge will provide a structure for the realigned path.  The beams will be supported by 14 individual bridge columns spaced along the riverbank.  Rebar and concrete will fill drilled shafts to a depth of at least 10 feet into the bedrock.



We've recently taken the first step in constructing the viaduct, by drilling a shaft beneath the new northbound bridge.  This had to occur now, because the drilling equipment is too tall to fit under the new northbound bridge once it is built.  This may be the only work we do on the viaduct path until this fall.

As you can see, the drill is taller than the new southbound bridge and would not have fit under the soon-to-be-built northbound freeway bridge.

Here, workers line up equipment to place the steel retainer ring, which will prevent dirt and rock from falling back into the drilled shaft.

The spring newsletter is now available

From ODOT-

Our spring Willamette River Bridge project newsletter is now available.



Take a look to see pictures of recently installed bare-root plantings, plans for path enhancements in Alton Baker Park and a summary of work that has been accomplished over the winter.



The newsletter also features articles about the time lapse video showing an entire year of bridge construction in 2 ½ minutes and how to stay involved in Oregon’s largest bridge replacement project.



Our project newsletter is distributed electronically. To get a copy sent directly to your inbox, please email Nichole@cawood.com.



If you have a question about the project, a suggestion for a future newsletter article or a photo of the construction work you’d like to share with us, please contact me at jyll.e.smith@odot.state.or.us.



Thanks and happy reading.

It’s pile driving time again

From ODOT-

If you live or travel near the Willamette River Bridge project, you may have already heard the pile driving that is under way.



Crews are driving piles as they build bridge bents, which are the supporting structures of vertical concrete columns that hold up the bridge beams and deck.



During construction, we are required to protect fish in the river from loud noise that can impact them or their communication and migratory patterns. April is one of just a few months in which we are allowed to drive piles in the river, because there is less risk to the fish.



Whenever our crews drive piles underwater, they use a device called a bubbleator to muffle the noise. The bubbleator is a custom-made foam oval protected by sheet metal. Aluminum pipes deliver 1,600 cubic feet of air per minute to the bubbleator, frothing the water. The air bubbles create a sound curtain to protect fish from the loud noise of pile driving. You can read more about the bubbleator and how it works in one of our previous blog posts and in an in-depth article on HubDOT.com.



The pile driving will occur intermittently between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, throughout the summer. We appreciate your patience during this noisy time.

Bare-root plantings restore natural landscape near new bridges

From ODOT-

Enhancing and restoring the natural environment around the Willamette River Bridge project requires attention to detail.



During winter and early spring of this year, our contractors have been installing fencing, irrigation and native bare root plants. The dormant plants can be dug up, stored without any soil around the roots and then planted before the warm weather comes. Advantages to using bare-root plants are that they have up to 200 percent more roots, are easier to move and take less time to plant. Once bare-root plants arrive on site, the contractor works quickly to get them in the ground before their roots dry out, which can happen within a few weeks of shipping.

Crews recently built fencing and planted native bare-root trees in the Eastgate Woodlands of the Whilamut Natural Area.

Native bare-root trees used on this project include vine maple, Bigleaf maple, Oregon ash and Oregon white oak. Shrubs include Oregon grape, mock orange, flowering currant and blue elderberry. Tufted hairgrass, Oregon iris and common rush are used in the wetlands.



Trees, wetland plants and the irrigation system are shown in one of the swales along the Interstate 5 northbound off-ramp to Franklin Boulevard.

Irrigation systems keep plants watered during the dry summer months. For this project, we are required to water the new plants for at least five years to ensure they are established and will survive over the long term.

 

Trees offer shelter and protect the new plantings, helping them get well established. Crews planted bare-root shrubs and other native plants in the mounds of soil.

Fun facts about the Willamette River Bridge project

From ODOT-

What does our work bridge have in common with the John Hancock Tower in Boston, African elephants or a football field? Find the answer to this and other interesting facts at Fast facts: Willamette River Bridge work bridge. This is the latest in an ongoing series by HubDOT, a news website focused on public infrastructure, with a national audience.



HubDOT runs quarterly articles about different aspects of the Willamette River Bridge project. Past articles focused on the construction manager/general contractor management method, demolition of the original bridge, the project groundbreaking and design enhancements. You can read any of these past articles at HubDOT.net. 

Placing beams for northbound Canoe Canal Bridge

From ODOT-

Recently, our contractor placed ten beams to support the deck of the new northbound Interstate 5 Canoe Canal Bridge. Careful timing and teamwork made it a safe and smooth process.



Local subcontractor Knife River manufactured the beams in Harrisburg. Each 180-foot beam weighs approximately 182,000 pounds. Given the size of the beams, only one at a time could be moved to the site.



Once loaded, each beam traveled south on I-5 to the Glenwood exit, crossed over the freeway and then headed back north. The truck exited the freeway on the east side and backed into position to unload the beam.

Workers prepare to unload a giant beam.

Two large cranes on either side of Canoe Canal lifted the beam, as workers on the roadway provided directions. Once all the beams are in place and secured, crews will build forms and pour the deck surface.



The new northbound Canoe Canal Bridge is scheduled for completion in July 2012.

Large cranes carefully move the beam into place.

With the beam in place, workers disconnect the cables used for lifting the beam.

New pedestrian path on south bank of the Willamette River

This picture shows the route for the new path on the south side of Franklin Boulevard.

From ODOT- Construction crews are preparing the south bank of the Willamette River under the vicinity of Interstate 5 for a new pedestrian path set to open in spring 2014. ODOT is building the path in cooperation with the cities of Eugene and Springfield.

This direct, safer route for pedestrians and bike riders will start east of the Knickerbocker Bridge and run along the riverbank until it joins a new path constructed by the city of Springfield along Franklin Boulevard.

This will be no ordinary path. Beams saved from the recently demolished temporary I-5 detour bridge over the Willamette River will be supported by concrete columns to create a viaduct that will offer great views of the river and new bridges.

The city of Springfield will continue the new path to the intersection of Franklin Boulevard and Glenwood Boulevard. Traffic signals will make the intersection safer for path users crossing Franklin Boulevard. Eastbound bike riders will share a wide sidewalk with pedestrians, and westbound cyclists will use a path on the south side of Franklin Boulevard.

We are very excited about these improvements!

We want to see I-5 Willamette River Bridge construction from your perspective

From ODOT-

Here at the I-5 Willamette River Bridge project, the project team, bridge contractors and public involvement staff take lots of photos to document the progress—from before construction started through daily construction.



We have lots of photos featuring the construction side of the project, but there’s something missing: how you, our community partners and project neighbors, see the bridge work.



That’s why we’re inviting amateur and professional photographers to send us your photos of the I-5 Willamette River Bridge and environs—before or during construction.



We’d love to learn how you view the bridge project from your special vantage point — the park paths, the riverbanks, a drift boat floating the river, pictures from last summer’s ceremony, you name it — and what this project means to you.



Please send up to three of your best photos of the Willamette River Bridge to Jyll.E.Smith@odot.state.or.us. Make sure your photos are in JPG format and no larger than 1MB. Once submitted, the photos become the property of ODOT, but we’ll be sure to attribute them to you if we use them in any material.



Photo entries are due Feb. 24. We’ll post the best entries here on our blog site a week later, on March 2.



Happy shutterbugging!

Traveling around the Willamette River Bridge project

From ODOT-

With construction of the new northbound Willamette River Bridge underway, detours and flagger-controlled delays will facilitate safe and easy movement through the project.



Here’s what to expect as you travel:



Ongoing impacts

• The northbound off-ramp from Interstate 5 to Franklin Boulevard is closed until October 2013. To reach Franklin Boulevard, use exit 191 to Glenwood Boulevard. After exiting, turn right on Glenwood Boulevard and travel north to Franklin Boulevard. The detour is clearly marked, with directional signs to businesses along Franklin Boulevard.


• The North Walnut Road path is closed east of I-5 and west through the Whilamut Natural Area of Alton Baker Park.

New impacts

• Franklin Boulevard is subject to single lane closures and flagger-controlled delays, as construction of the new bridge columns and bridge falsework occurs near or over the roadway in the next three months.


• The Canoe Canal path under I-5 is open for all east and westbound pedestrian and bike traffic on the north bank. In late February, expect delays of up to 20 minutes when crews lift the new beams for the Canoe Canal Bridge into place.


• The South Bank Path under I-5 is subject to increased flagger-controlled delays daily due to construction activities.

To date the project has resulted in minimal delays. By following all flagger instructions and project signage, you can continue to travel safely and quickly around the construction area.



Thank you for your patience as we move forward on this bridge replacement!

Canoe Canal — what a difference

From ODOT-

The photos below show the dramatic changes to the walls of the Canoe Canal. Slayden Construction, one of the contractors working on the Willamette River Bridge project, is responsible for the recently completed transformation.



Lowering the walls makes the canal more visible and opens up the embankments on both sides. Crews will complete landscaping and design enhancements by early 2014.



We will replace the temporary wooden railing with a standard steel railing. When the work is finished, path users can walk, run or ride alongside the water, as well as stop to enjoy the canal and reminders of the Kalapuya culture.

This picture, taken in April 2011, shows the Canoe Canal looking east where it passes under Interstate 5 and the Canoe Canal Bridge. The concrete walls along the canal appear as originally constructed in 1974.

This picture, taken this month, also shows the Canoe Canal looking east as it passes under I-5. Walls on both sides are lower and the banks extended. The area on the right side will include both a soft and a hard path separated by a landscaped area.

ODOT approves design enhancements for north bank natural area

From ODOT-

ODOT has approved two design enhancements proposed by Litus LLC for the Whilamut Naural Area near the new Interstate 5 Willamette River bridges.



Blue engraved stones will be installed on the slope south of the Canoe Canal Path under Interstate 5. Fifteen stones will depict the life cycle of the abundant camas, from the bulb's edible underground roots, to its open flowers, to its seeds falling to the ground.



The designs reflect the "Whilamut Passage" theme selected by the community in 2009. When completed in 2014, the installation will enhance local understanding of the Kalapuya culture and the area inhabited by Native Americans.



Teams from the Community Involvement and Long-term Ownership Strategy (CILOS) will participate in the restoration of 3.5 acres of land in the Whilamut Natural Area. They will restore the Willamette Valley upland and prairie habitat by removing non-native vegetation and planting native species. They will add design enhancements consisting of singing perches for birds created by supported tree snags. Some 14 local schools working in groups of 20 - 40 students per school will complete the project over three years. Ongoing education and awareness is an important aspect of this project.

Here's a rendering of the singing perches to be placed in the Whilamut Natural Area.

Over the past few months, a Design Enhancement Steering Committee has worked with the local designers to develop the final recommendation. The Citizen Advisory Group and the Project Development Team reviewed the designs at the end of November and recommended them to ODOT. We have approved the recommendation and will move forward with contracting with Litus for final designs, with installation to be completed by spring 2014.



ODOT appreciates Litus' work and all the volunteers who helped develop these enhancements. They will certainly benefit the area for generations.

Crews use diamonds to protect the environment

From ODOT-

When the I-5 Willamette River Bridge project is finished in 2014, we’ll see a beautiful pair of arched bridges, touching down in the river only once. That’s quite a contrast to the original bridge and its temporary replacement, which were supported by scores of concrete columns marching across the river.



This month, we began removing the last series of 21 columns from the temporary detour bridge. We’re doing this work carefully because we’re committed to protecting, preserving and enhancing the river environment during construction. In fact, we’re striving to keep all debris out of the river and will cut the columns off at the riverbed to remove any trace they ever existed.



It’s a big job. Each remaining column is demolished above the work bridge using big hydraulic hammers. The work bridge catches all the concrete and steel debris, which is recycled.



Crews then remove the work bridge surrounding each column. This allows them to use a special diamond-encrusted flexible wire saw to cut and remove each column in sections, all the way to the bottom of the river. Each cut section is lifted onto the bridge, where it is demolished and recycled.

Here's a close-up of the special wire saw. It's ultra-sharp, cuts clean and creates only a fine dust that eliminates any environmental impact to the river.

Cutting the columns below the waterline is a big improvement over earlier demolition methods, which required building an intrusive cofferdam to reroute the river, then demolishing columns directly on the riverbed’s mud. And it’s also safer for the environment and workers alike.

Here is the diamond saw removing columns on the original Willamette River Bridge two years ago. The smooth top surface shows where the saw previously cut through the concrete column and connecting wall. Workers stop the saw regularly so they can descend on ladders to drive big steel wedges into the cut to prevent binding.

ODOT and our contractor, Hamilton Construction, are committed to leaving the project site and local environment in better condition than before construction began.

Waterways Surrounding the Bridges

From ODOT-

Do you know that besides the Willamette River, there are 13 other bodies of water surrounding our project?



Both natural and manmade waterways flow here. The Whilamut Natural Area is home to the Canoe Canal, also known as Patterson Slough, and two protected wetlands. The Canoe Canal water originates from a diversion structure built in 1974 east of the bridge and reconnects to the river near the Ferry Street Bridge. The wetlands retain rainwater throughout much of the year, providing natural filtration and supporting a diverse plant environment.



On the south bank of the river, an interconnected network of waterways includes eight wetlands and two creeks. Three of the largest are Laurel Valley Creek, Augusta Creek and the Glenwood Slough. Water from the Laurel Hill Valley neighborhood winds through this network and flows into the river west of the bridges. Located along Interstate 5, the Franklin Boulevard off-ramp and the railroad tracks, this network captures and naturally treats rain runoff.



Before construction began, we developed plans to avoid or minimize impacts to all of these bodies of water. As part of the Willamette River Bridge project, we will improve this system through stream restoration and new bioswales that capture and treat more of the runoff before it enters the river.

The best of both worlds for walkers and cyclists

From ODOT-

Not only is ODOT building a new Interstate 5 bridge over the Willamette River, but we are also improving park paths in the project area. Pedestrians and bicyclists will enjoy greater safety as a result of our cooperation with local communities to improve the paths.



When bridge construction began, we built a new paved path in the Eastgate Woodlands area of the Whilamut Natural Area, making bike commuting safer by eliminating dangerous blind corners.



With this new Eastgate Woodlands path in place, we closed a hazardous portion of the Canoe Canal path under Walnut Road Bridge and made plans to convert the paved path to a soft path for runners and walkers.

Crews tear up the old concrete path near Walnut Road to replace it with a soft path.



The first step was for our contractor to remove the old pavement and replace it with a new soft path. They also built stairs from Walnut Road to give walkers easy access to the new path.



Bike commuters now have a safer paved bike path, while runners and walkers enjoy the softer surface of the new Canoe Canal path. It’s the best of both worlds.

Above is a picture of the newly completed soft path in the Whilamut Natural Area that runs under Walnut Road.