www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/lewisclarkbridge/
The Lewis and Clark Bridge is approximately one mile long and spans the Columbia River between Longview, Washington and Rainier, Oregon. Washington and Oregon are splitting in half the total project cost of $25,366,000. Built in 1929, portions of the bridge deck have begun to deteriorate, as traffic on the bridge increases with the growth of the surrounding communities and industries. A new bridge deck will extend the life of the bridge for another 25 years. The new roadway will provide wider shoulders for bicyclists and pedestrians and provide additional room for traffic to maneuver around disabled vehicles.
This project is anything but routine. Several components comprise the majority of the project.
Major project components:
- Remove existing concrete bridge deck and sidewalks through the main span and most of the Oregon approach span and replace with full width precast concrete deck panels. The existing Washington bridge approach will be widened and overlaid.
- Raise and widen the southernmost bridge span to eliminate the existing dip on the Oregon side approach.
- Replace raised three-foot wide sidewalks with five-foot wide shoulders at road level.
- Install new railing (designed to replicate the appearance of the existing railing) on top of the guardrail.
- Install additional lighting (designed to reflect the historic nature of the bridge) along the entire length of the bridge.
- Upgrade the aerial and shipping navigation lighting system.
- Complete seismic retrofitting on the bridge supports.
- Install a new drainage system to allow storm water to be discharged through the bridge deck and onto land on the Oregon and Washington sides of the bridge. Runoff will no longer be directly discharged into the river.
Construction Summary
Unique and innovative to this project, a 210-foot long transport lifts the old panel from the bridge and sets a new panel while being operated by a remote control. This transport system is being used to replace 103 roadway panels measuring up to 40 feet in length 37 feet in width and weighing up to 180,000 pounds. With only six inches of clearance between a new panel and each side of the bridge overhead structure, moving each panel on the bridge is a significant task in itself. Removing an old panel and setting a new panel must occur during eight-hour full bridge closures on weeknights. This narrow closure restriction minimizes impacts to the users of the bridge.
In retrofitting a 70-year old structure, the project team anticipated meeting a few unplanned conditions. They encountered several instances where plans required modification. In addition, after setting several new deck panels, vibration of existing bridge members was discovered. Engineers modeled the movement of the existing members and determined that the longevity of these members would be compromised without increasing the number of connections between the new panel and the bridge from four to twelve. Changes are currently being implemented.
Because of this change, WSDOT suspended work on panel installation. A new work sequence minimized the overall impacts to the duration of the project and kept other work moving while providing time for designing, fabricating, delivering, and installing the necessary structural steel pieces. This required extensive coordination with the project contractor and has highlighted a cooperative and positive relationship with the contractor.
Following considerable public discussion, WSDOT strategically schedules construction activities to minimize impacts to the traveling public. During construction, WSDOT provides the public with immediate information on the timing of the nightly and weekend closures. To ensure public safety, medical airlift service has been obtained for the duration of the project. Several communication tools are available to the public and the media.
While reasonable efforts were made during the design of the project, forethought proved correct in that the age of the bridge, including as-built plans, contributed to some unexpected conditions. The design problems have typically been solved in a timely manner and many were unavoidable. The construction team has worked well together to develop, review, amend, and implement changes in a timely manner to minimize time and cost impacts. The major change to the project will result in a 10-25 % increase to the bid amount and a moderate delay to the contractor’s schedule. Since the design change, the contractor plans on setting panels on every available night to get back on schedule. The contractor’s original construction schedule is aggressive, showing completion months in advance of the allotted contract time.
Contractor:
Max J. Kuney Company – Spokane, WA
WSDOT Contact:
Amy Revis, Area Engineer
WSDOT Kelso Area Office
Phone: 360-442-1341
E-mail: lewisclarkbridge@wsdot.wa.gov