December 2017
NEWS
The Southwest Portland Post • 7
Sellwood Bridge receives Greenroads silver certification for sustainability
By Don Snedecor
The Southwest Portland Post
According to the Greenroads Foun-
dation, Multnomah County’s Sell-
wood Bridge replacement project has
earned Greenroads Silver Certifica-
tion. The bridge project is the 39th
Greenroads Project certified in the
world and takes the top rank as the
highest scoring project to date.
The Sellwood Bridge is the cor-
nerstone of the entire $324 million
Sellwood Bridge replacement pro-
gram that also included work on the
Oregon 43 interchange, local streets,
regional parks, and the nearby trail
system.
The original bridge was built in
1925. It crossed the Willamette River
and was structurally deficient, vul-
nerable to earthquakes, had restricted
access for buses, no bike lanes, and
provided only limited connectivity
for pedestrians.
The replacement project was made
possible by using an innovative meth-
od of procurement called construc-
tion manager/general contractor.
This approach enabled the inte-
grated team to collaborate and imple-
ment ideas that save time and money,
such as the lateral bridge slide, which
moved the old bridge to make space
for the new bridge.
The bridge slide was a specialty
process that ended up saving the
public upwards of $10 million in tax
dollars from the initially estimated
costs.
To do this, contractors used hy-
draulic jacks to shift the original
3,400-ton steel bridge 33 feet at the
east end and 66 feet at the west end
onto a temporary structure, little by
little, in a process that lasted 14 hours.
This temporary structure served as a
detour bridge.
The bridge move looks similar to a
windshield wiper and made room for
the adjacent construction of the new
replacement bridge while maintain-
ing the existing traffic connections.
The shift also allowed the project
to avoid and reduce environmental
impacts within the waterway by
avoiding building the new bridge in
two phases, each requiring in-water
work.
Portland is known for its signature
bridges, so creating a unique, beauti-
ful bridge that fit aesthetically into the
neighborhood context was crucial.
The result is a steel deck arch made
with recycled components that echoes
the character of the first bridge.
“One of our goals for the project
was to reflect the county’s values
around sustainability, and we feel
that the Greenroads certification is
independent recognition that the
county has achieved those goals,”
said Ian Cannon, transportation di-
rector and engineer for Multnomah
County.
“What sets this project apart is
how much collaboration happened
between Multnomah County, Oregon
Department of Transportation, the
City of Portland, and the design and
construction teams,” said Jeralee An-
derson, chief executive officer of the
Greenroads Foundation.
“That collaboration was key to
achieving so many environmental,
social, and economic wins for this
green bridge.”
According to Cannon, “The new
bridge has much better connections
The new Sellwood Bridge, viewed from the southwest from Powers Marine Park, in
late September 2016. (Photo by Steve Morgan)
into the trail network on the west end
of the bridge and better connections
at the east end of the bridge, so it
really ties into the routes that people
who aren’t using cars travel.”
Creating a more multi-modal bridge
is just one of the ways that the new
Sellwood Bridge demonstrates stake-
holders’ commitment to sustainability.
Other sustainable actions included
sourcing 94 percent of materials by
cost within 50 miles, including re-
cycled steel products. Contractors
recycled over 91 percent of waste ma-
terials, and installed energy-efficient
LED lights that limit light pollution.
Educational plaques documenting the
history of the bridge for pedestrians
were installed.
Funding was provided by
Multnomah County, the City of Port-
land, the State of Oregon, and the
Federal Highway Administration,
including a TIGER Grant.
The Sellwood Bridge was designed
by T.Y. Lin, CH2M Hill, Walker Macy,
Safdie Rabines Architects, Mainline
Design, Inc., and Reyes Engineering.
Slayden Sundt Joint Venture was the
prime contractor and other construc-
tion team members included Omega
Morgan, Ross Island Sand & Gravel,
Rose City Rebar, Thompson Metal
Fab, and Knife River Corporation.
David Evans and Associates acted as
Owner’s Representative.
Three other transportation projects
in Oregon are also certified as a result
of the Sellwood Bridge Replacement
Program: OR 43 Interchange (Silver
– Oregon Department of Transporta-
tion), Southwest Macadam Bay Drive
and Regional Trail (Bronze – City of
Portland Bureau of Parks & Recre-
ation) and Southeast Tacoma Street
(Bronze – City of Portland Bureau of
Transportation).
Special thanks to Joshua Hatfield of
Greenroads Foundation for providing
press information for this story. Case
studies and further details for Greenroads
Certified Projects and Greenroads Pilot
Projects are available at www.greenroads.
org/portfolio. Additional information
about the Sellwood Bridge can be found
at www.sellwoodbridge.org.
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