• 2004 Project Highlights
• Evaluation Standards

SR 433, Lewis and Clark Bridge - Deck Replacement

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Cowlitz County
This project replaced the deck of the Lewis and Clark Bridge.  The bridge is approximately one-mile long and spans the Columbia River between Longview, Washington, and Rainier, Oregon.  Built in 1929, portions of the bridge deck had begun to deteriorate, as traffic on the bridge increased with the growth of the surrounding communities and industries.   With the new bridge deck, the life of the bridge is extended for another 25 years, and we've improved mobility and safety for residents and businesses in both states. The new roadway provides wider shoulders for bicyclists and pedestrians, and additional room for traffic to maneuver around disabled vehicles or routine maintenance activities.  

This project was anything but customary, with several innovative components comprising the majority of the project, and many smaller issues related to the age and design of the bridge.  These include lighting and handrail designed to reflect the historic nature of the bridge.  One of our major challenges was removing and replacing the deck at night while keeping the bridge open to traffic during the day.

Evaluation Criteria Design: Contract Administration: Schedule: Cost: Engineer’s estimate:  $28.0 million Contractor’s bid amount: $17.9 million Anticipated final payment to contractor:  $24.1 million

Construction Summary
Unique and innovative to this project, a 210-foot long transport was used to lift the old panel from the bridge and set a new panel while being operated by a remote control.  This transport system was 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 was a significant task in itself.  Removing an old panel and setting a new panel had to occur during eight-hour full bridge closures on weeknights.  This narrow closure restriction minimized impacts to the users of the bridge.

In retrofitting a 70-year old structure, our project team anticipated meeting a few unplanned conditions.  We encountered several instances where plans required modification.  After setting several new deck panels, the team noticed vibration of existing bridge members.  Engineers 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. 

This major change to the project resulted in about a $5.1 million increase to the bid amount and a moderate delay to the contractor’s schedule.  This required extensive coordination by the project team and has highlighted a cooperative and positive relationship with the contractor.  Changes were implemented and the project was still completed ahead of the originally planned schedule. 

We scheduled construction activities to minimize impacts to the traveling public and used a variety of communication tools to keep the public informed of our work schedule.  Through aggressive planning and scheduling, our contractor eliminated one of four planned full-weekend closures of the bridge, significantly reducing impacts to the public.  There were 143 days of single lane closures used, along with 124 days of total closures.

Number of working days allowed: 340 + 42 day extension due to delays for a total of 382 days.  Number of working days used: 364

Minor changes to the contract have been made without much impact to the overall cost.  The major change added approximately 28 percent to the Contractor’s bid amount.  The final contractor payment is expected to be $24.1 million, about 14 percent below the Engineer’s estimate. Because the Lewis and Clark Bridge spans the state line between Washington and Oregon, the cost for the project is being split evenly by both states. 

Contractor

Max J. Kuney Company – Spokane, WA

WSDOT Contact

Leon Winger, Area Engineer
WSDOT Kelso Area Office
2400 Talley Way
Kelso, WA 98626
(360) 442-1341
WingerL@wsdot.wa.gov

More information on the SR 433, Lewis and Clark Bridge Deck Replacement project.

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