Broadway Bridge, Oregon
LOCATION Portland, Oregon
CLIENT Oregon Dept. of Transportation
PARTICIPANTS Abhe & Svoboda, Inc.
SCOPE OF WORK Abrasive Blasting
VALUE $12.54 million
SCHEDULE February 2003 - December 2005
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Bridges Magazine |
2006 Project of the Year
The Broadway Bridge, one of six bridges spanning the Willamette River in downtown Portland, is an important transportation route with an average daily volume of 30,000 vehicles. The historic structure was the first bascule bridge built in Portland. It was the longest bascule bridge in the world when it was built in 1913, and today remains the longest ”Rall-type” bascule bridge in the world. Rall bridges are a rare and unusual type of bascule bridge in which the leaves of the bascule span are opened and closed by a complex lift mechanism which includes very large rolling Rall wheels. Only three Rall bascule bridges exist in the United States. In 2002, Oregon Department of Transportation awarded Mowatt Construction Co. a $23 million contract for rehabilitation work on the Broadway Bridge. The work included bascule deck replacement, roadway resurfacing, electrical work, steel repair and painting. Abhe & Svoboda, Inc. blasted and painted approximately 622,000 square feet of the Broadway Bridge’s failing paint system, including the steel of the entire below deck structural components and the above deck structural components of the bascule span. Abrasive blasting with recyclable steel grit was used to clean the steel surfaces. SSPC Class 1A containment systems were used during lead abatement and painting procedures. A Wasser High Tech Coatings moisture-cure polyurethane paint system was applied to all steel surfaces. The entire underside of the bridge was rigged for access and containments by utilizing a SAFESPAN® platform system and Etobicoke® System Scaffolding. The above deck structure was also rigged with Etobicoke® System Scaffolding. The movable bascule span required unique rigging, which included special span-balancing and Abhe & Svoboda, Inc. designed containments. All scaffolding and containments were designed and attached to the bridge to allow the bascule leaves to remain fully operational, thus allowing boat traffic to pass under the bridge unhindered. The Broadway Bridge painting project was finished on schedule. Shortly after completion, a picture of the recently painted Broadway Bridge appeared on the cover of Bridges Magazine. The Broadway Bridge Rehabilitation Project was awarded the American Council of Engineering Companies, Oregon Chapter ”2006 Project of the Year”. |
