It has been four decades since Portlanders watched a bridge take shape over the Willamette River.
In the early 1970s, the building of the double-decker Fremont Bridge provided some high drama, including a "big lift" of the 900-foot, 6,000-ton steel arch span into place, using giant hydraulic jacks.
By comparison, the emergence of
bridge will be a slow dance over three years.
"It will be sort of like a bookshelf from Ikea," said Rob Barnard, TriMet's project manager. "Piece by piece. Once you get the last piece together, it will be nice and stable."
Behind, the scenes, however, TriMet's efforts to get the permits and paperwork in order before Nebraska-based Kiewit Bridge and Marine breaks ground today have been a blur.
On Monday, the
finally signed off on Portland's 12th Willamette River bridge, saying it met marine clearance standards.
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Meanwhile, the ink is barely dry on an agreement to pay at least $4.4 million – more than 3 percent of the construction budget – to help the operator of the Portland Spirit river-cruise company stay in business.
Last fall, a final environmental impact statement showed construction of the nation's largest car-free transit bridge would create a wake of problems for American Waterways.
For starters, the company's two largest vessels wouldn't be able to safely pass under the bridge's 77.5-foot vertical clearance during high water periods. TriMet also needed to base its eastside construction zone virtually on top of the company's Southeast Caruthers Street headquarters.
Among other things in the recently signed $4.4 million mitigation agreement, taxpayers will pick up the tab for $494,500 in "vessel modifications" to the company's
and Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler ships; $2 million to use company property; and $1.3 million to extend a dock about 120 feet
"This is anything but a sweet deal," Dan Yates, president and co-owner of the 200-employee American Waterways Inc. "It's putting my operations in chaos for three years, and it's going to be hard on employees and clients. ... But I'm satisfied that it will be enough to keep us operating normally during the next three years."
Large mitigation settlements are part of building America's bridges, often required in order to get federal construction grants.
For example, more than 10 percent of the $850 million Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington, also built by Kiewit, was funneled into settling property, traffic and noise impacts.
TriMet avoided paying a settlement to Ross Island Sand & Gravel by agreeing to extend clearance between bridge columns for barge traffic. Still, even after TriMet analyzed daily river levels dating back to the 1800s, the issue of the bridge's height may never be settled for some in the local maritime community.
"I don't think they've adequately factored in climate change," said Shane St. Clair, operator of Scovare Yachts.
The still-unnamed bridge is the centerpiece of the $1.5 billion Portland-to-Milwaukie MAX Light Rail line, or Orange Line, scheduled to open in September 2015.
Only trains, buses, streetcars, pedestrians and bicyclists will be able to use the 1,720-foot span from South Waterfront to the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry.
The future Southwest Porter Street will be the westside approach; the east end will connect to Southeast Sherman Street. Light rail trains will move under the new Oregon 99E viaduct on the eastside.
Seven barges will be in the water during the July-through-October "fish window," when crews will be able to build cofferdams for the piers without harming salmon and steelhead runs.
From shore, bridge watchers won't see the first 180-foot tower reaching toward the sky until summer 2012.
In October 1971, inspectors found a crack in the west span girder of the under-construction Fremont Bridge, requiring a $5.5 million ($27.9 million in 2011 dollars) redesign and repair.
Eventually, the $82 million Fremont's main span was assembled at Swan Island, floated on a barge and put into place by what was once a world-record lift. The massive midspan was suddenly part of the skyline. The bridge opened on Nov. 15, 1973.
Barnard is confident the bridge won't run into problems requiring a major redesign. One reason: It's design isn't finished.
In order to speed up construction, he said, TriMet opted to adjust the design as it's built. "We needed to hit that fish window," Barnard said. "Why wait another year to design something doesn't have to be built for another year."
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