Got questions? We have answers.

From ODOT-

As ODOT’s Willamette River Bridge Project manager, I often talk to local groups and provide public tours. Here is a sampling of the questions people ask.

Q: What will happen to the staging area in the Whilamut Natural Area of Alton Baker Park when construction is complete?

A: We will restore this large area to its original condition and plant 7,000 camas bulbs to reflect the Kalapuya heritage in the area.

The staging area in the Whilamut Natural Area currently holds construction equipment and materials used on the bridge replacement.

Q: What are anti-access walls? 

A: They are 8-foot-tall concrete walls at the base of each arch that deter people from climbing the arches from the riverbank.

Workers pour concrete for an anti-access wall at the bottom of a bridge arch.

Q: How many expansion joints does each bridge have?

A: There are five expansion joints on each bridge to allow for movement caused by temperature changes, protecting bridge parts from damage.

Q: Does the project have webcams? If so, where are they?

A: There are three webcams on the project. Two are on the billboard near Chambers Construction and the other is between the two bridges on the north bank.  Our webcams provide the public with a live look at construction activity and collect footage that we are able to turn into a time-lapse video.

Q: What happens to the wooden and steel falsework  when it’s no longer needed?

A: Most of the falsework is used and reused multiple times on the project before crews remove and recycle it. Aside from plywood, which has limited reuse, lumber and steel falsework components are saved and stored by the contractor for future projects.

Q: How many work hours have been logged on this project?

A: From July 2009 through December 2012, construction crews logged 279,722 hours of labor on this project.

And my favorite question from a second grader visting the project:

Q: What is the name of the crane operator?

A: John.

I appreciate the public’s curiosity about the project. It is refreshing to realize there is so much interest in every aspect of the bridge replacement work — from construction, environment and safety to our incredible team.

Just how much material do we recycle?

From ODOT-



We’ve shared with you in the past about how we reuse and recycle material from the Willamette River Bridge Project. Well now the numbers are in to illustrate just how much materials we’ve kept out of landfills.



Hamilton Construction and their subcontractors repeatedly reuse wood, metal and concrete before taking it off site. They meticulously track the quantities; here is a summary of the numbers that we just received for 2012.



A great example of reuse, crews reduce concrete to rubble so that it can be recycled and reused. They formed hard paths in Whilamut Natural Area with 58 cubic yards of recycled aggregate containing this rubble. The team also reprocessed an additional 154 tons back in to the Willamette River Bridge Project. On this project, we recycled over 32 tons at Eugene Sand and Gravel and Sanipac’s Eco-Sort, plus Staton Companies reused another 1,720 cubic yards.



Crews recycled over 280 tons of reinforcement steel and other metals this past year. That’s over 560,000 pounds in just one year. They took most of the material to Pacific Recycling and Schnitzer Steel.



From the falsework used to support the bridge work, over 8,000 pounds of untreated wood were recycled at Lane Forest Products and the Sanipac Wood Recycling facility.

The steel supports and wooden falsework are still intact here.

Our contractors work hard to preserve construction materials, avoiding waste, increasing efficiency and lowering costs. My thanks to our team!

Behind the orange cones: Managing a massive project

From ODOT-

Our
latest
video features interviews with project leaders who are building the state’s
largest bridge replacement, which will carry Interstate 5 traffic over the
Willamette River for the next 100 years.

We’ll
talk to our construction contractors and ODOT project manager, whose work depends
on strong relationships with employees, suppliers, subcontractors, governments and
the public. For this video we enjoyed talking with them about how they got
here, what motivates them and the most challenging and rewarding aspects of
their job.

                                                                   

We’ve
worked with ODOT and Hamilton Construction managers extensively throughout the
project and they’ve been unfailingly helpful when answering questions and
engaging the community. This complex project is a lot to take on and they
handle it with grace and a little wry humor.

 

The planning behind the construction

From ODOT-

If you pass by the project site regularly, you’ve seen the two graceful bridges take shape across the Willamette River. What you don’t see is the coordination that makes it possible.

Communication is critical in such a dynamic project. Every Wednesday, Hamilton Construction Manager Con O’Connor and I meet with the superintendents, safety manager, project engineers and the traffic control manager. At this weekly meeting, the team orchestrates upcoming tasks, identifies potential issues and solves problems. Whatever the issue – coordinating timing of material deliveries, ensuring ample manpower for tying rebar grids, or evaluating erosion-control measures, for example – a cohesive, coordinated planning team makes sure it all gets done.

The primary outcome of each Wednesday’s meeting is a projected three-week schedule that we review each Thursday in our weekly construction meeting with representatives from the main construction partners, Hamilton and Slayden, as well as members of our engineering, inspection, safety and public involvement teams. Here we make sure everyone’s on the same page about upcoming activities, whether related to demolition, bridge work or roadway work. Then we are able to identify where extra efforts are needed to ensure staffing is available and the public is kept safe and informed.

In a construction project, tasks are bound to change due to scheduling conflicts or uncontrollable factors such as the weather. As a team, the Willamette River Bridge staff uses the most current information available and communicates often with all involved parties to ensure that everything runs smoothly as possible.

Knickerbocker footbridge reopens to improved, safer park path connections

From ODOT-

Path users who cross the Knickerbocker Bridge will notice differences on the bridge, as well as on the path connecting the bridge to the north bank.



The Eugene Water and Electric Board closed the bridge to repair the water pipe suspended under the bridge. While the bridge was closed, contractor Hamilton Construction provided access by cutting holes in the bridge deck. The holes are now covered with concrete lids that EWEB crews can lift when they need to service the water pipe, shortening the length of future bridge closures.

A new concrete lid on the north end of the Knickerbocker Bridge allows EWEB to more easily reach the water pipe below.

Our crews took advantage of the bride closure to complete a new path connecting the Knickerbocker Bridge with North Walnut Road. This connection had been very steep, with sharp turns. The new path is much safer because it is wider, has a gentler slope and connects to North Walnut Road with a T-intersection farther from other path connections.

The new connection with North Walnut Road allows path users to easily go east or west.

You will see more path improvements in the Whilamut Natural Area, as the new Interstate 5 Willamette River bridges are completed.

Arch construction - a closer look

From ODOT-

This fall, we will complete the arches for the new Interstate 5 northbound bridge, following the same construction process used to build the southbound bridge arches.

One of the final steps is to raise each arch section about two to three inches off the falsework by pushing the arches apart with four large 965-ton hydraulic jacks. The jacks are positioned in the gap at the top of the arch and simultaneously separate and lift each so crews can pour the concrete closure that completes each arch and allows them to stand on their own. .

Similar to a jack you would use to lift your car, a single hydraulic pump applies pressure to each of the four jack rams, which separate the arches. Each ram has its own pressure gauge. Close calibration ensures that the rams and the gauges provide uniform and accurate information so equal pressure is applied and the arches aren’t damaged.

The calibration process pressurizes the rams up to 95 percent of their maximum capacity while individual gauge readings are recorded. Once the calibration is complete, crews must set up the system identically when moving the arch sections, using the same gauge and ram combinations they used during testing.  

Only a few facilities on the West Coast can test such large hydraulic rams. The University of Washington, in conjunction with the subcontractor team from Precision Hydraulic, will calibrate the jacks over a two-week period this month.

The university provides written certification of the calibration along with a copy of the data collected during the tests to help ensure accuracy during this critical process.

Local contractor builds a bridge and much more

From ODOT- Hamilton Construction, headquartered in Springfield, Ore., manages the construction of the new Willamette River Bridge for ODOT.



Hamilton is one of the many Oregon construction firms that have successfully bid on bridge projects funded by the Oregon Transportation Investment Act III.



Other OTIA III projects Hamilton has built for ODOT in Lane County include replacing the Interstate 5 McKenzie River bridges and several new bridges at the I-5 Goshen Interchange. They also worked on three additional projects further south on I-5. Hamilton is currently working on another complex OTIA III bridge project over the Sandy River on I-84 in Troutdale.



One of the unique things Hamilton has done for the Willamette River Bridge project was to develop an in-water device called a “bubbleator” to minimize the impact on fish by the vibrations caused by pile driving. For the Sandy River Bridge, they are innovating methods to minimize the risk of flooding by reducing the amount of piers in the river and removing woody debris.



A key goal of the OTIA III program is to stimulate Oregon’s economy through construction work, especially at the local level. For a project as large as this one, Hamilton coordinates more than 40 subcontractors that provide key services and supplies, all timed to meet a demanding schedule. Like Hamilton, the majority of the subcontractors are from the nearby area.



Founded in 1939 to build concrete roads and irrigation systems, Hamilton now specializes in building highway and railroad bridges throughout the western U.S., especially those over bodies of water or with difficult access.



With more than 70 years’ experience, Hamilton is a partner ODOT can count on to build a project as complex as the Willamette River Bridge and to help meet the overall goals of the OTIA III program.

From ODOT - Avoiding impacts to basic services:

Construction of the Willamette River Bridge involves ODOT, Hamilton Construction Company and subcontractors, yet many other entities are affected.

The project site includes many utility services that our construction crews must be aware of: power lines, fiber optics communication lines, water lines, natural gas pipelines, local network copper and fiber optic cables, sewer lines, and overhead electric lines.

Before construction begins, we carefully plan how to minimize potential service disruptions to local customers by ensuring that utility lines are relocated or carefully protected.

On the Willamette River Bridge project, we’ve worked with the Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB), Springfield Utility Board, Williams Gas Pipeline, Qwest, Comcast, the City of Eugene, and the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission. We’ve collaborated with them to identify potential conflicts between current service locations and construction of the project.

Throughout the project, once the conflicts are identified, we work with the utility companies to find a solution to relocate services. While most conflicts have been resolved at this point, coordination will continue through construction.

We appreciate the cooperation of the service providers, which has helped us keep our project on schedule.

Design Complete on Willamette River Bridge

From ODOT-Another important milestone has been reached on the Willamette River Bridge project. Design of the northbound bridge, along with modifications to Interstate 5 lanes and ramps is complete. This is the last major engineering design work needed to guide completion of the new I-5 bridges. Finishing the design work is a result of close collaboration between Oregon Department of Transportation, OBEC Consulting Engineers, Hamilton Construction and a large group of key community stakeholders.

While the bridge and roadway design work has been completed other design efforts are ongoing. Regional artists continue to work with stakeholders to design artistic enhancements to the project area.

The team, especially our committed stakeholders, is to be complimented on a job well done. I know the community will be pleased with the results when the entire project is complete.

From ODOT- The Arch Falsework comes down

Our contractor, Hamilton Construction, has spent more than nine months building the two graceful arched spans that will support the new southbound Interstate 5 bridge. As you travel past the construction project, you may have noticed the arches nearing completion.

Starting last April, crews built falsework to form the arches. They started by erecting steel supports on the work bridge and welding them into place. On top of the steel supports, the crews built a wooden deck and forms that outlined the curve of the arches. Inside the arch forms, they built a “skeleton” of reinforcing steel bars that gives each arch both strength and flexibility. Finally, crews filled the forms with concrete that protects the reinforcing steel and adds to overall strength.

Now that the arches can stand on their own, we have started dismantling the wooden forms and steel support system. Most all of the material will be saved and stored near the site and reused to build the arches for the northbound I-5 bridge.

With all the falsework now removed in span 2, the weight of the arches is fully supported on large concrete shafts that were constructed deep in the ground on either bank and in the middle of the river.

The graceful lines of the river crossing can now be seen.





Here are the arches under construction, with falsework in place.


Here are the span 2 arches standing free of falsework.

Replacing the Temporary Bridge

From ODOT- With all the construction work under way on the new Interstate 5 Willamette River bridges, it’s easy to forget the bridge carrying I-5 traffic since 2004 is temporary.

This fall, when the new southbound bridge is complete, we’ll shift all I-5 traffic onto it, which will allow us to dismantle the temporary bridge clearing the way for construction of the new northbound bridge.

As we closely watch construction of the new arch bridges, I think it’s important to remember why we’re building them.

When ODOT inspected the original I-5 Willamette River bridges in 2002, we discovered structural problems in the aging girders. We quickly put load limits in place that forced heavy haul truck traffic to detour on U.S. 97 through Central Oregon. The long detour increased the cost and time of moving goods in and through Oregon.

While we immediately started planning for new bridges to replace the old, we knew it would take significant amount of time to design and construct a bridge to meet the environmental and seismic standards for permanent bridges with a lifespan of 100 years. That was too long to wait to return heavy truck traffic to I-5 through Eugene-Springfield. Building a temporary bridge became the best interim solution.

We quickly designed a temporary bridge and acquired needed right of way and permits. Our contractor, Hamilton Construction, started work on the temporary bridge in 2003, and it opened to traffic in 2004. The temporary bridge was built using materials and methods that could be quickly installed, but it does not meet all standards required for a permanent bridge with 100-year lifespan.

The temporary bridge has carried traffic for more than six years. During that time heavy freight has moved easily on I-5. Truckers, and the consumers of the goods they transport, have avoided the economic impacts of a costly detour.

We expect the new bridges to be complete in 2013, almost a decade after the temporary bridge opened. By the time both new bridges are open to traffic, Oregonians will see a good return on their investment in the temporary bridge. In addition, material from the temporary bridge will be reused or recycled, and the right of way used for the temporary bridge will be returned to its natural state.

When the work is done, our goal is to leave the project area in far better shape than we found it.

The Rain is Here

From ODOT-
Hi, Karl Wieseke here from ODOT’s Springfield area office.

As ODOT’s construction project manager on WRB, I see firsthand how the weather affects our construction activities.

The rainy fall and winter months present new challenges to ODOT’s commitment to minimizing impacts to the environment by ongoing construction activities.

Over the past several weeks, ODOT and our contractor, Hamilton Construction and their subcontractors, have prepared the work site to minimize the impacts of rain and to keep construction on schedule and within permit requirements.

· We have seeded bare slopes and open spaces, or covered them with straw to absorb and better control runoff.

· Hamilton Construction crews inspected the work bridge and made necessary adjustments to ensure that it captures and treats all the runoff before it reaches the Willamette River.

· We have cleaned out drift logs stuck around and under the work bridge to avoid potential problems from rising river levels brought on by winter rains.

· We have also checked equipment for appropriate protection to capture any possible oil or lubricant leaks mixing with rainwater.

Together, ODOT and Hamilton Construction are determined that when the bridge work is done, the work area, riverbanks and adjacent parklands will be in better condition than before we started work.

Congratulations to Hamilton Construction for reaching a safety milestone!

From ODOT- Safety is a major focus for all of us at ODOT and our contractors. On our Willamette River Bridge project, Hamilton Construction just celebrated a significant safety milestone with more than 50,000 person-hours worked without a significant injury or accident. For a project expected to take over 400,000 person-hours, current experience says a lot about the projects focus on safety.

Hamilton celebrated with a catered barbecue lunch for all its employees in Springfield’s Island Park. They also provide employees with gift cards. In addition, Hamilton makes a gift to a local non-profit organization when its crews reach safety milestones.

Hamilton presented a $2,500 check to Northwest Youth Corps which is a local non-profit located near the project in the Laurel Hill Valley neighborhood of Eugene. Northwest Youth Corps operates an accredited, alternative high school. It also employs over 1,000 young people, aged 16 to 19, performing outdoor work such as construction and maintenance of hiking trails, bridges, retaining walls, and campgrounds.

From my vantage point, Hamilton demonstrates the quality of company and the project it is managing by its willingness to take the time to recognize employees for their important role in creating a safe work environment and to make a contribution to Northwest Youth Corps.

Please join me in congratulating Hamilton and its employees for their focus on safety and giving back to our community.

~Jyll Smith, Public Affairs for ODOT