Hundreds of Volunteer Hours Make this Bridge Possible

From ODOT- I cannot stress enough how grateful everyone at ODOT is for the citizens who have donated so much time, effort and passion into making this bridge something we are all proud of.



A 12-member Community Advisory Group (CAG) has been instrumental in developing project goals, objectives and design considerations to ensure that community values are a part of the project. They have been meeting since 2007, and have included representatives from local neighborhoods, recreation groups, local artists, architects, the University of Oregon and the Citizen Planning Committee (CPC) for the Whilamut Natural Area of Alton Baker Park. The work on the enhancements has been guided by a Design Enhancement Panel (DEP), a diverse group of design professionals and community representatives, and a Design Enhancement Steering Committee (DESC) made up of four members from the CAG that continues to meet. The four members of the DESC are Charlotte Behm, Bob Kline, Vicky Mello, and Scott Wylie.



ODOT is fortunate to be able to include artistic enhancements on the project that will reflect community values and add cultural significance to the design. Esther Stutzman, a Kalapuya tribal representative, and David Lewis, representative of The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, have played a large role in inspiring the design enhancements. They each set aside time to help develop the bridge's aesthetic values and to foster the designers through their work.



I'd also like to thank our citizen volunteers who have worked to have the bridge renamed the Whilamut Passage Bridge. While the name is not yet official, we are well on our way thanks to their efforts shepherding it through the process. Thank you, all. Your work on this project has ensured that it will resonate with this community for years to come.

Saving time and money

From ODOT-

The Willamette River Bridge project is ODOT's largest bridge replacement project to date. We work closely with our contractor to find opportunities to save time and money, while constructing a bridge designed to last 100 years.

Recently, we agreed to purchase steel ahead of schedule to start building the second work bridge a year earlier than originally planned. This allows us to complete some work before this year's in-water work windows ends. For this project working in the river is restricted to windows of time between July and October and the month of April in order to protect endangered and sensitive species in the Willamette River.

Early completion of the work bridge means the contractor can dismantle the detour bridge and do other preparatory work on the northbound Interstate 5 bridge at least six months earlier than originally expected. Saving time helps to save money.

~Jyll