Getting ‘up close and personal’ with the Willamette River Bridge project

From ODOT-



Many highway and bridge projects are easily visible as you drive by, but not so easy to see ‘up close and personal.’



That is not the case with the Willamette River Bridge project. Located between two cities and surrounded by a park, hundreds of people see the project up close every day from the park paths and thousands more catch a glimpse as they drive by.



Did you know you can request an ‘up close and personal’ tour of the construction site and see the arches and current activities from the actual work bridge that you would not be able to see from anywhere else?

People who have already taken tours include local service clubs, senior groups, elected officials and students. They have made a number of comments about the complexity of the project, the amount of material required and the expertise of the contractors and workforce.



Taking a tour is the best way to see the progress being made and ask questions about the new bridges. The work is even more impressive when you can walk out near the construction and see it taking shape.



Tours are held the second Wednesday of each month at 10 a.m. and are limited to 15 people; pre-registration is required. Special group tours may be scheduled for other days and times based on the construction activity.



To schedule a tour, please call John Lively at 541-484-7052 or email: john@cawood.com.

Visit the artistic enhancement virtual open house!

From ODOT-



Did you miss the Willamette River Bridge open house last night? You have another opportunity to comment on the proposed artistic enhancements.



Visit the virtual open house to view the artistic design enhancement concepts and send us your comments. If the link does not open, please copy and paste this link in your browser: http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/REGION2/I-5WRB_OpenHouse_April2011.shtml



On the virtual open house webpage, you can view displays of the proposals as well as a video description of them. The proposals from each team represent their unique approach to creating awareness of the influence of the local Kalupuya Tribe and complement the Whilamut Passage theme. Later this month, a selection committee of location volunteers will consider your comments as they finalize a recommendation to the Community Advisory Group and Project Development Team. After a final decision in May, the chosen design team will prepare the final design. Installation of any enhancements is schedule for late 2013 or early 2014 when the new bridges are complete.



Encourage your friends to also visit the virtual open house. We need to receive your comments by noon Wednesday, April 13.

Arch completion photo story, Part 3 of 3

From ODOT-

In part 2 of our series, we showed you how the arches were jacked apart to support their own weight. We’ll now explain the final step.

Even during a dusting of winter snow, crews remained hard at work. The photo above shows them preparing to pour concrete to close and connect the ribs using the same concrete cocktail of small aggregate and water reducers that was used for the reinforcement cages. After seven days, the concrete reached its intended strength and the falsework could be removed.

In January, once the arches could stand on their own, crews used cranes to dismantle the wooden forms and steel support system. All of the material is being saved and reused to build the arches for the northbound I-5 bridge.

With all the falsework now removed, the weight of the arches is fully supported by the large concrete shafts that were poured deep in the ground on either bank and in the middle of the river, revealing the beauty and grace of the new bridge yet to be.