15th Talking Stone to be placed on June 8

From ODOT-

By: Frannie

In two weeks, the Citizen Planning Committee for the Whilamut Natural Area of Alton Baker Park will celebrate the placement of the fifteenth Kalapuya Talking Stone. Attend the special dedication ceremony at 1 p.m. on June 8, just north of the Knickerbocker Bridge.

Kalapuya Elder Esther Stutzman of the Kommema Cultural Protection Association will welcome the newest and largest stone to the Whilamut Natural Area.

What is a Talking Stone?

Before the arrival of Euro-Americans, Kalapuyans were the largest Native American group in western Oregon. The Talking Stones commemorate Kalapuya heritage and preserve some of the 140 words still known from the tribe’s language.

Fourteen large Talking Stones inscribed with Kalapuya words already stand along paths in the Whilamut Natural Area. Quarried from a basalt deposit in historic Kalapuya territory, 11 Talking Stones were installed in 2003.

As part of restoration work for the I-5 Willamette River Bridge Project, ODOT is contributing four additional Talking Stones to the park. Four stones were installed ­— CAMAFEEMA (“ferns on the ground”), DUUCU-BA (“powerful place”) and HAL-BA (“downstream”).

The newest stone — GUDU-KUT (“frog”) — stands on the edge of a seasonal pond used by the Pacific Tree Frog, whose chorus is an early sign of the coming of spring.

Bats get custom-built homes under new I-5 Whilamut Passage bridges

From ODOT-

Although horror movies might lead you to associate bats exclusively with caves, bridges — especially the concrete kind common in Oregon — also make good bat shelters. The underside of a bridge is dark and quiet, just the way daytime sleepers like it. And the concrete mass of a big bridge stores heat, so bats can regulate their mammalian body temperature by climbing up when it’s cool and down when it’s warm.

Although no bat species in Oregon are yet listed as threatened or endangered, bat populations are declining almost everywhere. ODOT recognizes that rebuilding bridges throughout the state gives the agency a chance to help bat populations recover.

During design of the new Whilamut Passage Bridge, we found local Myotis bat populations living around the bridge work zone.

Our project team designed and built eight bat boxes — each providing a quiet, safe daytime roosting place for bats — and installed them on the southbound bridges over the Willamette River and the Canoe Canal. Bat boxes on the northbound bridge have yet to be installed.  

The new bat boxes will ultimately help improve bat populations, which in turn help naturally control insect populations. Bats love to eat mosquitoes and other pesky critters.

 

The photos above show bat boxes installed on the Canoe Canal (top) and Whilamut Passage bridges (bottom). If you look carefully, you can see narrow openings on the bottom and side of the box that allow bats in and out of their new home.

 

A bat roosts by clinging to a rough-textured bridge beam. Photo courtesy of Diane Winterboer, APHIS USDA Wildlife Services.

 

Hamilton shares gift of safety with community

From ODOT-

Hamilton Construction, the primary construction contractor for the I-5 Willamette River Bridge Project, reached yet another milestone in safety and in traditional fashion, gave back to the community.

The Springfield-based company recently logged in more than 100,000 hours of work without an injury, according to a recent article by KLCC Public Radio. To celebrate this, Hamilton donated $10,000 to Northwest Youth Corps, a youth development and outdoor education organization. They, in turn, will use the money to enhance their own safety programs.

Construction can potentially be a very dangerous job, so Hamilton makes worker safety a priority by using high quality protection equipment and gear and contracting with safety officers to make sure that it is used properly.

Keeping track of hours worked without injury is common in this industry. Hamilton has made it a tradition to donate to a non-profit organization local to the project when employees achieve safety milestones.

Click here to view the full KLCC article. Congratulations to Hamilton and all the employees for making safety pay.

 

Holes in the bridge

From ODOT-

Did you know that there are holes on the underside of the Whilamut Passage Bridge?

Specifically, there are access holes that allow ODOT workers to get inside of the hollow bridge beams for inspections and maintenance.  

Every two years, ODOT inspects its bridges and on large spans special access holes allow workers to inspect the interior of bridge beams and decks and make any necessary repairs. Each span of the new Whilamut Passage Bridge has its own access holes, which measure 24 inches by 36 inches. If you look up when standing under the bridge, you can tell how many beams support each span by counting the access holes.  

The inspectors receive special training to ensure they won’t get claustrophobic while working in such an enclosed, dark space. Security doors are installed inside the access holes and locked in between inspections and repairs.  

Workers get ready to enter one of the access holes to finish the interior surfaces of the bridge's concrete beams and decks.

Here you can see part of the rebar skeleton that makes up the bridge beams. the arrows point to plugs that create the oval access holes when concrete is poured for the beams.

See what’s going on high atop the arches of the new northbound bridge

From ODOT-

It’s hard to spot some of the current work being done high atop the graceful new arches of the northbound Whilamut Passage Bridge, far above the river.  

But if you look carefully, you may spot crews building the deck on top of arches. In this photo you can see them installing plywood to provide shaping and hold to concrete as it dries in place.

In the background you can see the yellow Bid-Well paving another section of the deck.

Notice that in addition to wearing hardhats, eye protection and brightly colored shirts, crew members also have cables tied to their harnesses. Safety is a top priority at the project site, and the cables will catch a worker should he or she slip and fall while working at such a great height.

Park Path Safety Reminder

From ODOT-

With the promise of drier weather and sunny days ahead, we expect more people on the bicycle and pedestrian paths throughout the construction area and in Alton Baker Park.

  
It’s always nice to see people buzzing around as the weather improves, but the project safety team wants to remind you to be aware of construction activity and other path users.

For safe traveling through the work zone, we encourage cyclists, runners and walkers to:

·       Watch out for increased path traffic.

·       Watch for cross traffic at path and roadway intersections.

·       Slow down when cycling through the work zone.

·       Obey flagger instructions and guidance.

·       Wear high-visibility clothing.

 

Path users should expect brief delays on the south bank of the river in late May and early June* while crews remove the remaining wood and metal falsework over the path that connects the Knickerbocker Bridge to Franklin Boulevard. Flaggers will guide you through the work area safely.

*The delays are now expected the week of May 6 rather than late May and early June.

Deck pour over Franklin Boulevard

From ODOT-
Compared to the graceful arches that span the Willamette River, the concrete bridge deck may seem straightforward and simple, yet it is much more than a flat slab of concrete. Here’s a description of how contractors poured the southern section of the Whilamut Passage Bridge deck that stretches over Franklin Boulevard last week.

After completing construction of the box girders that support the deck, crews added wooden falsework to maintain the hollow box structure. Then they installed steel reinforcements on top of the box girders before pouring the concrete.

Manske Construction Corporation created two layers of gridded rebar that are carefully spaced for added strength.

The ironworkers used different sizes of steel rebar, set at a variety of angles, to reinforce different sections of the deck. Notice the large rebar used for a joint located above a bridge column.

Once the rebar was installed, spaced and tied together, contractor Knife River pumped concrete to the bridge deck from trucks parked on Franklin Boulevard. A specially trained operator used a Bid-Well machine to distribute, flatten and smooth the concrete.

The Bid-Well follows right behind the freshly pumped concrete. Crews moisten the material before it's distributed to allow for a wet cure.

After the fresh concrete cures for 14 days, crews will post-tension the new bridge deck and let the concrete cure for another 120 days to allow for natural shrinkage and greater strength.

Local news station captures major project milestone

From ODOT-

Earlier this month, KEZI 9 News aired a great story about our reaching a new construction milestone on the Willamette River Bridge project. Contractors successfully completed the bridge deck pour  over Franklin Boulevard. With careful timing and close attention to the weather forecast, crews finished the concrete pour just before the rain started.

KEZI 9 News was on hand to capture the action and learn more about this major milestone. I enjoyed talking with the news crew and took them to the top of the bridge to get a closer look at the work.

You can see the work in action by watching KEZI’s coverage below and the written story.

Many thanks to KEZI 9 News for its interest in the project!

April 3 footage of the bridge pour, courtesy of KEZI 9 News.

A note about driver safety in the work zone

From ODOT-

The U.S. Department of Transportation is highlighting the importance of construction zone safety as work increases throughout the nation this spring. It has declared April 15-19 National Work Zone Awareness Week. On its Fast Lane blog, USDOT tells us that “80-85 percent of victims in work zone fatal crashes are vehicle occupants or drivers,” emphasizing that “We’re All In This Together” when traveling through work zones.

Each May, ODOT celebrates Transportation Safety Awareness Month in Oregon by increasing our messages to the community about staying safe when driving in work zones and protecting roadside workers through our “Respect The Zone” program. We also provide tips for drivers to help them arrive at their destinations without incident.

For the I-5 Willamette River Bridge Project, we are fortunate in that we have few impacts to traffic on the interstate, but please be aware that the freeway lanes narrow in our work zone and crews and equipment working off to the side can be a distraction.

Lane restrictions on Franklin Boulevard will continue through the spring. Please always obey reduced speed limits and flagger directions as you pass through our work zone.

A seat with a view

From ODOT-
In another step to improve surrounding parkland, our construction team recently placed a log bench along the new multi-use path. The bench allows people to sit and enjoy the natural surroundings and park activities. Landscapers have added topsoil, are still seeding the area, and will continue planting native vegetation later this spring.

I’m looking forward to sitting on the bench and enjoying the springtime sights and sounds. I hope you take time to enjoy the new addition as well.

The new log bench sits on rain-drenched land overlooking orange fencing that protects nearby wetlands. When the project is complete this area will look much better.

Churchill High School Technology Majors Tour Whilamut Passage Bridge

The I-5 Willamette River Bridge project team hosted some special visitors at the construction site earlier this year: students in Churchill High School’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics program — STEM for short. As a scientist myself, I’m especially delighted to see young men and women show an interest in these areas – and to be supported in that interest.

Staff from OBEC Consulting Engineers, designer of the new Whilamut Passage Bridge, described the important architectural and engineering details of the arch-deck bridge and led the STEM class on a tour of the construction work.

It was a great day for viewing lots of on-site activities. Work was under way on two phases of box girder construction right next to some completed box girder spans.

Above, OBEC engineer Brad Larsen (right) shows students how the large paving machine behind them built the concrete deck for the new northbound bridge.

Standing on the vast work bridge just above water level, students listened as Larsen explained the design of the bridge arches and how they support the top deck and roadway.

The students learned how the bridge arches and spandrel columns were formed and poured in place to support the roadway deck.

The STEM program teachers agreed that their students really enjoyed seeing firsthand and up close how a large, complex construction project is designed and built.

Larsen plans to stay in touch with the STEM class and even offer them internships with OBEC throughout the year.

Maybe someday one of the STEM students will design bridges for ODOT, too.

U of O journalism student takes a site tour to inform story

From ODOT-
We love to see coverage of the Interstate 5 Willamette River Bridge Project on other community blogs.

That’s why we’re excited about University of Oregon student Alan Sylvestre’s recent post that includes the bridge project. He wrote the piece for a class at the School of Journalism and posted it on the Reporting 1 Blog.

In his report, Alan writes about how cyclists, commuters and businesses in Glenwood deal with construction. He reached out to Karl Wieseke, ODOT project manager, for his perspective on working with the local community.

Also included is a wonderful video featuring the project area and construction activities.

We were happy to read student Allison Camp’s perspective about the project. “‘It’s not that big of an inconvenience,’ Camp says. ‘The consideration for commuters in planning is good and the bike paths will be beautiful by all means.’ As the progress continues on the bridge and surrounding areas, Camp and other community members stay optimistic about the long-term impact of the project for the Glenwood community.”

Thank you to Alan for highlighting the ties our project has with the surrounding communities.

Alan Sylvestre’s full story is available here. You can read more stories by U of O journalism students at the Reporting 1 Blog page.

Alongside Franklin Boulevard

From ODOT-
As you drive along Franklin Boulevard east of the I-5 bridge project, you may see crews building a multi-use path viaduct to connect cycling and walking paths in Alton Baker Park to Springfield.


Workers recently built the curbs and finished the bents, or vertical supports, of the viaduct.

The viaduct and path improvements are part of ODOT’s commitment to leave the parkland near the I-5 bridge project in better shape than before construction began.

The path viaduct is taking shape along Franklin Boulevard. At right, a worker finishes the surface of a bent with grout to make sure it is smooth.

Beneath the roadway

From ODOT-

Here’s something you don’t see every day. You’re looking at the horizontal beams that will support the concrete bridge deck motorists will drive on across the I-5 Whilamut Passage Bridge.

Freshly poured T-beams are located on the left ad far right of this picture. Precast floor beams are in the middle.