All the original bridges are gone

From ODOT-

We look forward to celebrating major milestones on the Interstate 5 Willamette River Bridge project. Our most recent accomplishment was removing the last remnants of the old bridges.

Demolition began in 2009 when we removed the original Interstate 5 bridge. We separated the material, recycled the steel rebar and crushed and reused the concrete for fill to raise the ground level, form an embankment and groom other empty spaces in preparation for building the new arch bridges.

When we demolished the temporary detour bridge last winter, we saved its beams for other projects throughout Oregon. We’re reusing some of those beams to build the new viaduct path on the south bank near the new Willamette River bridges.

The last remnant we removed was a section of the Canoe Canal detour bridge, which we left in place until now to help us install the beams for the new northbound Canoe Canal Bridge.

The remaining portion of the Canoe Canal detour bridge just east of the new bridge (at left) was the last section of the old bridges to be removed.

To remove the last of the old bridges, crews first separated the remaining 21 beams from the support columns and hauled them to a storage yard, where they remain until they are needed on another project. Staton Construction demolished the remaining bridge columns and removed the last fill material. We will eventually plant native vegetation, restoring the area to a better condition than when the project started.

Now that the original and detour bridge are both gone, it’s time to focus on finishing the remaining structure being built across the river.

The 3 R’s for Willamette River Bridge: Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle

From ODOT-

Dismantling the temporary bridge over the Willamette River is ahead of schedule.

We are recycling or reusing a significant amount of material from the temporary detour bridge, saving money and reducing the project’s waste stream.

With the asphalt deck pavement removed, crews separate the support beams and lift each to the top of the bridge and load them on trucks for transport to an offsite area until they can be reused on other highway or local agency projects.

ODOT’s contractor, Hamilton Construction, will reuse 50 concrete beams from the temporary bridge to build a new viaduct and pedestrian path along the south bank of the river. Currently, 174* additional beams are slated to go in projects throughout Lane County and other parts of the state. In the end, nearly 70 percent of the 326 beams from the temporary bridge will find a home in this or another highway project.

The beams that are not identified for reuse in bridge projects are sawed in to smaller lengths and will be hauled off site and find uses such as retaining walls.

The concrete columns and cross beams are broken apart and the aggregates and reinforcing steel are separated and will be recycled or reused. We break up the concrete with hammers that run on all-natural canola oil, which reduces the risk of river contamination in case of a spill.

Most of the temporary detour bridge will be gone by the end of December. Then we’ll start building the footings and arches for the new northbound bridge.

*Corrected from 224.

Taking the temporary bridge down

From ODOT-

Bridge demolition is fun to watch, as shown by these pictures taken as we removed the original Willamette River Bridge in 2009. We are using the same process to remove the temporary bridge.

No, it’s not a scene from “Transformers.” It’s a specialized hydraulic crane crunching a big bite out of the old bridge.

Multiple demolition cranes worked to demolish the original bridge and sort through the rubble.



Demolition of a bridge column reveals the steel bars that give it strength. Recycling as much steel, concrete and other construction materials as we can saves taxpayer dollars and significantly reduces the project’s waste stream.

Expect delays on Franklin Boulevard under I-5 Nov. 4 and 7

From ODOT-Here's a quick traffic update for Franklin Boulevard as our contractor removes the Interstate 5 detour bridge over the Willamette River that carried traffic until last month.

On Friday, Nov. 4 and Monday, Nov. 7, we'll remove the portion of the temporary detour bridge that passes over Franklin Boulevard. This will cause traffic delays on Franklin Boulevard for up to 20 minutes between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. both days.

There will be no traffic delays on Franklin Boulevard on Saturday and Sunday.

Flaggers will occasionally stop traffic to keep motorists out of harm's way as crews remove and place bridge beams onto trucks standing by to haul them away. The beams will be stored for use in future bridge construction.

We'll work to minimize the traffic stops and we appreciate your patience!

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.