Pacific Northwest 22, October 23, 2022

Hamilton Construction, ODOT Open Scottsburg Bridge

The new structure is a 1,280-ft.-long by 47-ft.-wide, seven-span steel plate girder bridge with a cast-in-place deck.

Officials from the Oregon Department of Transportation and Hamilton Construction recently celebrated the completion of the new Scottsburg Bridge on Oregon 38.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Sept. 29 for the dedication of the final link in a lifeline route between Interstate 5 and the southern Oregon coast, a $43 million project endeavor.

The Springfield, Ore.-based contractor began work on the new bridge in January 2020. Traffic was shifted onto the new bridge this past May and the old bridge was removed in August.

Funded by House Bill 2017 (The Keep Oregon Moving Act), the new Scottsburg Bridge is wider and on a better alignment than the original 1929 bridge. It has been built to withstand earthquakes and stay open in times of natural disasters.

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The Oregon Department of Transportation formally dedicated the new Scottsburg Bridge and unveiled its plaque on Sept. 29. Participants included (L-R): ODOT Southwest Oregon Area Manager Chris Hunter, ODOT Historian Larissa Rudnicki, Oregon Transportation Commissioner Julie Brown, ODOT Historian Chris Bell, former Oregon Transportation Commissioner Martin Callery, Scottsburg resident Sunnie Hedden, ODOT Director Kris Strickler, Hamilton Construction President Con O’Connor and former Rep. Caddy McKeown. The original Scottsburg Bridge opened in 1929.

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ITD Approves ‘Unprecedented’ Construction Funding

The ITIP is a seven-year investment plan, reflecting funding levels created by Gov. Brad Little’s “Leading Idaho’ initiatives and supported by the Idaho Legislature. This resulted in the most projects and the largest ITIP that the department has ever had.

The Idaho Transportation Board approved the 2023-29 Idaho Transportation Investment Program as recommended to them at its monthly meeting in Boise on Sept. 22, as announced in a news release the same day.

The Idaho Transportation Department’s seven-year investment plan reflects “unprecedented funding levels” resulting from Gov. Brad Little’s “Leading Idaho” initiatives and with support from the Idaho Legislature, according to officials at the department.

The approved ITIP includes funding for highways, public transportation and aeronautics programs. It also includes summarized preliminary engineering, right-of-way acquisition and construction costs for each project. It is updated and approved annually.

The plan outlines numerous projects throughout six districts scheduled for upgrades. Some of these include:

District 1 SH 53

This project, located at the intersection of SH 53 and Pleasant View, approximately milepost 2.2, will construct two underpasses; one as an interchange for Pleasant View Road over SH 53 and the second over the railroad interchange and structure to accommodate traffic flows and realignment of the ramps and intersecting roadways. The project will reduce serious and fatal type crashes as well as improve mobility by providing on and off-ramps for Pleasant View Road structures over the rail road. This project also will close two other railroad crossings and add illumination.

Main Street/ Silver Valley Road Bridge

This project will replace the Main Street Bridge located over Pine Creek between Silver Street and Seventh Street. The bridges substructure is in critical condition as the concrete girders and abutments have numerous cracks and both of the bridges pier walls

have been undermined. The steel piles supporting the bridge have completely lost their protective coating and are heavily corroded and pitted. The bridge and approach guardrails are all substandard, highlighting serious safety concerns. This project is located on STC-5764 between mile points 1.39 and 1.79.

District 2 U.S. 95

This project will replace approximately 6.5 mi. of the existing two-lane roadway with a new four-lane divided highway on Hwy-95 from mileposts 337.2 to 343.9. The project is expected to improve safety and highway capacity by widening shoulders, adding rumble strips and replacing guardrail.

9th Street Grade/5th Avenue

This project will reconstruct the 9th Street Grade roadway, retaining wall and elevated sidewalk from 5th Avenue to Idaho Street. The current roadway and pedestrian railing do not meet AASHTO guidelines as they relate to roadway design, curvature, superelevation, guardrail and pedestrian protection. This project is located on SMA-7134 between mile points 1.973 and 2.180.

District 3Snake River Bridge

The Snake River Bridge on State Highway 52 is slated for replacement in fiscal year 2026. The total cost of construction is $18.915 million with the state of Idaho providing matching funds $9.551 million as it is on a state highway.

U.S. 95

U.S. Highway 95 will be repaved between mileposts 65.0 and 70.3 in Fiscal Year 2026. This project is intended to “rehabilitate the roadway to improve ride quality and extend the life of the pavement section,” according to a project document. Construction is anticipated to cost $6.385 million.

District 4 I-84

This project on I-84 will replace a bridge at milepost 168.0 in Jerome. The new structure will include five lanes, 3-ft. shoulders and a 10-ft. bike path/raised sidewalk.

SH 75

This project will remove and replace existing asphalt pavement on Hwy-75, Main

Street Ketchum, from River Street (milepost 128.2) to Clubhouse Drive (milepost 129.6). This project will include ADA ramp improvements and traffic signal component upgrades.

District 5

S. Fisher Street/E. Walker Street

This project will provide a pavement rehabilitation to Fisher Street from Walker Street to Alice Street in Blackfoot. This project will reconstruct the curb, gutters, pavement and draining systems on Fisher Street. Fisher Street will receive a full depth reconstruction from Alice Street to Walker Street. The project will lay a new sub base, road base, asphalt and chip seal on the road. To eliminate storm water flooding, a new draining system will be put along the entire length of the project.

District 6

A2 Highway

This project will improve the A2 Hwy in Clark County by widening the roadway, fixing soft spots, adding additional base and paving the roadway. This will include the replacement of culverts and other minor drainage improvements. The project will widen the road from 22 to 26-ft. section to a 30-ft. section, which will require modifications to cattle guards and box culverts.

Annis Highway

The official document includes summarized preliminary engineering, right-of-way acquisition and construction costs for each project. It is updated and approved annually.

This project will improve the Annis Hwy from the northern Rigby City Limit to the Menan-Lorenzo Highway. This project will include an asphalt overlay, shoulder widening, geometric improvements of an un-safe horizontal curve and site clearing along the right-of-way to improve the geometric configuration of an accident prone intersection.

(All photos courtesy of Idaho Transportation Department.)

The approved ITIP includes funding for highways, public transportation and aeronautics programs.

New Bridge Will Be ‘Seismic Lifeline’ Between I-5, Coast

“This new bridge will be here a lot longer than us,” ODOT Director Kris Strickler said. “It represents a seismic lifeline between the coast and Interstate 5. We don’t know when an earthquake will happen, but it takes leadership and foresight to get these improvements funded and built.”

Local officials unveiled a plaque at the ceremony that will be placed on the bridge, as well as having the original bill that started the program and the pen that Gov. Kate Brown used to sign the bill into law.

Structure work on the project included steel tube bridge railing with ornamental concrete pilasters and pylons at the ends of the bridge, two soldier pile retaining walls with tieback anchors and cast-in-place concrete facing, temporary shoring walls, and cast-in-place concrete headwalls and drainage facilities, according to Hamilton Construction.

Other construction elements included 8-ft.-diameter shafts; deep soil mixing under abutments; 6-ft.-square, decorative columns; curved and haunched steel girders at both ends; large plate girders spanning middle sections of the bridge; cast-in-place deck (10-in.-thick); and demolition of old bridge.

Structure work on the project included steel tube bridge railing with ornamental concrete pilasters and pylons at the ends of the bridge, two soldier pile retaining walls with tieback anchors and cast-inplace concrete facing, temporary shoring walls, and cast-in-place concrete headwalls and drainage facilities.

The new Scottsburg Bridge is wider and on a better alignment than the original 1929 bridge. It has been built to withstand earthquakes and stay open in times of natural disasters.

Other construction elements included 8-ft.-diameter shafts; deep soil mixing under abutments; 6-ft.-square, decorative columns; curved and haunched steel girders at both ends; large plate girders spanning middle sections of the bridge; cast-in-place deck (10-in.-thick); and demolition of old bridge.

“This project replaced the 1929, 845-foot-long bridge on Highway 38,” Hamilton Construction said in a statement.

“The new structure is a 1,280-foot-long by 47-feet-wide, seven-span steel plate girder bridge with a cast-in-place deck. The bridge is supported by 96-inch-diameter drilled shafts at the piers and the abutments are founded on spread footings. Additional foundation work in the footprint of the abutments includes deep soil cement mixing to mitigate soil liquefaction in the event of seismic activity.”

HP

Civil Begins Next Southern Oregon Seismic Project

Hillcrest Road under Interstate 5 will be closed for the next six months as contractor HP Civil performs major bridge foundation repair.

The $5 million Hillcrest Bridge improvement is part of the Southern Oregon Seismic Resilience project. Funded by the 2017 Keep Oregon Moving Act, the goal is to keep southern Oregon connected after a major earthquake. Fifteen bridges and four historic slopes are part of this project, designed to give southwest Oregon a lifeline for needed goods and supplies after a major earthquake.

A drop-in project open house was held on Oct. 20, at Grace Bible Church, where ODOT staff was available to answer projectrelated questions.

The Southern Oregon Seismic Triage Projects consists of the following:

• Reinfornces 15 bridges and four slopes so southwest Oregon remains connected after a major earthquake;

• Keeps OR 140 between U.S. 97/Medford and I-5 corridor from Medford/Eugene functional;

• A total of $30 million in funding from HB 2017; $23.4 million from other sources;

• Construction timeline from 2020 to 2024.

The projects include different areas of construction. They are separated by:

• Pre-bundle, First Bridges: Interstate 5: Leland Road Bridges, Sunny Valley;

• Bundle 1: Interstate 5 Hillcrest Road bridge, I-5 Exit 58, north Grants Pass bridges and I-5 Exit 80 Glendale.

• Bundle 2: OR140 Bridges, east of White City; Del Rio Road Bridge over Sutherlin Creek

• Bundle 3: Rogue River Highway Bridge replacements;

• Slopes Bundle: Stabilizing four slopes on OR 140 and Interstate 5.

(All photos courtesy of Oregon Department of Transportation.)

This project is part of the Southern Oregon Seismic Resiliency project designed to construct a lifeline to the Rogue Valley before a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. Aug. 8, 2022.

HP Civil crews set forms on the vertical supports of the Interstate 5, Exit 58, Scoville Road Bridge in Grants Pass.

A construction worker prepares a new, armored impact panel on the OR 140 Lick Creek Bridge.

Oregon 140 traffic is separated and controlled by a temporary signal to allow a contractor to seismically strengthen either side of the Lick Creek Bridge.

Increasing Traffic Safety With Strategic Tree Felling

As one of the first road maintenance departments in Germany, the North Rhine-Westphalia state road construction authority “Straßen.NRW” is leading the way for road maintenance depots and municipalities. The SENNEBOGEN 718 tree care handler ensures all tree felling along state and federal roads in its territory is done efficiently, quickly and safely.

Throughout the entire North Rhine-Westphalia region, there are several tree inspectors who are on duty every day to preserve the tree population while ensuring traffic safety. This area is made up of more than 8,000 mi. of state road, 2,500 mi. of federal road and 620 mi. of district road.

Although, it’s a massive territory, virtually every tree along these roads is meticulously assessed and documented.

In the past, this was done on index cards, but today all trees are being tracked in a digital tree registry, including the GPS location of each tree. To date, more than 300,000 individual trees have been logged. Detailed notes such as stability and breakage safety, fungi or deadwood are all recorded and the necessary steps and decisions are based on the data.

Tree felling is often unavoidable.

Trees primarily serve to provide visual, glare and wind protection but also are critical to securing slopes. If trees or tree crowns impair the field of vision, professional pruning is usually sufficient.

However, if branches or even trees are threatening to fall due to a lack of stability, the last and final option is to dismantle it. The information in the tree registry helps all the inspectors to ensure traffic safety and do so in a responsible, environmentallyfriendly manner on behalf of the municipality.

To accomplish these goals and objectives, the North RhineWestphalia region uses a SENNEBOGEN 718 E tree care handler with a grapple saw to maintain the roadways.

“The high volume of orders and operations due to the increasingly extreme climatic influences, such as drought or flood disasters, led to a rethinking. Occupational safety and efficiency in daily work are tak-

ing on an increasingly important role,” said tree inspector Michael Göckeritz.

Efficiency Increased With SENNEBOGEN Tree Care Handlers

The extreme drought of 2018 and 2019 had an impact on German road maintenance services.

Trees by the edge of the road have been permanently under stress due to the drought, causing them to become diseased and unstable. This meant they needed to be removed. The consequence: more operations, more effort, more staff. By using their SENNEBOGEN tree care handler, the work along the roads is now much more efficient, especially during the cutting season.

Occupational Safety is the Focus of Road Maintenance Companies

The traditional use of chain saws and boom lifts for pruning along the roadways have some major disadvantages when compared to SENNEBOGEN 718 tree care handlers. The issue of occupational safety in particular plays an important as tree care handlers are less labor-intensive.

In addition, the operator is protected with safety features including full protection guarding of the SENNEBOGEN Maxcab and the use of bulletproof glass for the windshield and the skylight.

With the help of the SENNEBOGEN 718 E, the logs are gripped in a controlled manner, sawed off and laid to one side. The logs are then sawn off by the 718 grapple saw. At the same time, the tree care handler also holds the log so that it can be carefully placed by the operator by the edge of the road to be picked up later.

“Jobs for which we would have needed a whole week in the past, we now sometimes manage in one day,” said Göckeritz.

For more information, visit www.sennebogen-na.com.

Precision and efficiency: the 718 E grips, saws and lays down logs in a controlled manner.

The 718 E is ideal for use along country roads with its 42 ft. reach.

Bridge’s Redesign More Likely to Withstand Big Earthquake

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The new bridge structure is constructed downstream of the existing truss. Access for construction activities required one work bridge that spanned the full width of the river. A second full-length work bridge was required for the demolition and removal of the old structure. Staged construction on the project required three phases where traffic was temporarily placed in a one-way configuration guided by temporary signals and 24-hour flagging.

Replacement Necessary

Fully repairing the bridge would have involved repainting the green steel truss and repairing any bad steel sections, repairing and repaving the deck and replacing the deck joints, replacing the concrete railing, repairing the concrete pier caps and strengthening the bridge to better withstand earthquakes. However, according to ODOT, such repairs wouldn’t address the more fundamental problems with the bridge — the narrow width, sharp approach curves and low overhead clearance.

Due to the need for so many repairs and improvements to the existing structure, ODOT concluded that the construction of a new bridge was a better long-term investment. A new bridge will better accommodate modern traffic and will be more likely to withstand a large earthquake or other natural disaster.

Although many other bridges along Oregon 38 have been replaced, the Scottsburg Bridge remained largely unchanged since it was built. It opened in 1929 during an era when most vehicles were small and speeds low; the bridge’s narrow lanes and tight corners at both ends were not designed for modern traffic.

“We were only one truck or seismic event [away] and the connection would have been severed, said Julie Brown, ODOT Transportation Commission member. “And we all knew it and we worried.”

Former Rep. Caddy McKeown, who helped guide passage of House Bill 2017 through the Oregon Legislature, shared credit with many others.

“It took everyone pulling on the same oar to make this

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Sept. 29 for the dedication of the final link in a lifeline route between Interstate 5 and the southern Oregon coast, a $43 million project endeavor.

project happen,” McKeown said. “I want to thank to the citizens of Oregon who trusted their representatives to vote for this bill to get the Scottsburg Bridge built and to keep Oregon moving.”

The old bridge had to be closed several times in the past to repair damage when trucks hit its steel truss. In April 2017, the bridge was closed for nearly five days due to a truck crash.

Other speakers at the event included Oregon Transportation Commissioner Julie Brown, former OTC member Martin Callery, Hamilton Construction President Con O’Connor, ODOT Interim Region Manager Darrin Neavoll and Southwest Area Manager Chris Hunter, and ODOT Historians Chris Bell and Larissa Rudnicki.  (All photos courtesy of Oregon Department of Transportation.)

Access for construction activities required one work bridge that spanned the full width of the river. A second full-length work bridge was required for the demolition and removal of the old structure.

The Scottsburg Bridge remained largely unchanged since it was built. It opened in 1929 during an era when most vehicles were small and speeds low; the bridge’s narrow lanes and tight corners at both ends were not designed for modern traffic.

Wash. Tribe Constructs Tower to Avoid Tsunami Disaster

TOKELAND, Wash. (AP) There’s a new option to escape a tsunami for people on the southwest coast of Washington.

The Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe dedicated a 50-ft. tall (15.2 m) evacuation tower in Tokeland, Wash., the Northwest News Network reported.

Design engineer Cale Ash, who worked on the Tokeland tower for Degenkolb Engineers, said tsunami experts modeled the maximum wave height near the mouth of Willapa Bay as 16.3 ft. (4.9 m) and said the design team rounded up to 20.2 feet (6.1 meters) to be safe. He said the floor of the lower platform is 33 ft. (10 m) above the ground and the floor of the upper platform is 43 ft. (13.1 m) high.

Ash also said at the dedication that the tower rests on concrete pilings that go 55 ft. (16.7 m) deep to withstand violent shaking of the soft, sandy soils of the peninsula.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency provided $3.8 million toward the design and construction of the Tokeland tower. The Shoalwater Bay tribe contributed an additional $1.2 million to complete the budget.

When the next magnitude 9.0 rip of the offshore Cascadia fault zone happens, people on the Pacific Northwest coast will have some 15 to 35 minutes to get to high ground to escape a possible tsunami.

Tokeland is on a long, flat peninsula with no high ground within walking or running distance for many there.

Shoalwater tribal Council Member Lynn Clark said at the dedication ceremony that the tower will save lives. Tribal leaders and the Federal Emergency Management Agency said it should be an example and inspiration for other vulnerable coastal communities.

The tribe’s emergency management director, Ken Ufkin, said he can sleep better now that the sturdy, double-decker tsunami refuge tower exists. The tower stands close to the midpoint of the nearly 3-mi.-long (4.8-km) Tokeland Peninsula.

“This allows folks, even if it’s 2:30 in the morning in your pajamas, to scoop up your family and make it here in a very short amount of time — in under a 15-minute window for

nearly everyone from Tokeland Point to the heart of the reservation,”' Ufkin said.

The tower will be open to all in a disaster. The tower platforms have a capacity of more than 400 people, which is considerably more than the tribal population of the small Shoalwater Bay reservation.

The Tokeland evacuation tower resembles free-standing tsunami towers built in Japan, but officials said it's the first of its type in North America. Two other tsunami refuges on the Northwest coast — in Newport, Ore. and Westport, Wash. — are reinforced platforms on the roofs of a school or university building.

The most likely next place in the Northwest to build a tsunami evacuation tower is the town of Ocean Shores, Wash., which is working with Degenkolb on a design.

Some emergency planners have qualms about relying on vertical evacuation structures because it leaves a potentially large number of people in a disaster zone who will need to be rescued later.

Ufkin and others say, however, that reaching safety quickly by driving away is unlikely to be an option if a major earthquake buckles roads and topples power poles in lowlying places such as Tokeland — or in Ocean Shores and Long Beach, Wash. and parts of Seaside and Warrenton, Ore., for example too.

Design engineer Cale Ash, who worked on the Tokeland tower for Degenkolb Engineers, said tsunami experts modeled the maximum wave height near the mouth of Willapa Bay as 16.3 ft. and said the design team rounded up to 20.2 ft. to be safe.

Geologists and emergency planners consider the Cascadia Subduction Zone fault among the most significant disaster threats in the U.S. The offshore fault last ruptured in January 1700, spawning a tsunami that reached all the way across the Pacific to Japan.

Tom Banse photo

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