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3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, MAY 7, 2018 Why are bridges green? The story starts in Oregon Bridges are painted the same shade By ERIN ROSS Oregon Public Broadcasting Drive across Oregon and it’s hard not to notice that many of the state’s steel bridges — from the foggy coast to high desert — are the same shade of sage green. It’s so ubiqui- tous that the paint’s manufac- turer calls it “ODOT Green” after the Oregon Department of Transportation. But ODOT Green — a color that started a national phenom- enon — is a color that almost didn’t happen: Oregon’s first green-painted bridge, the St. Johns, was initially supposed to be striped black and yellow like a bumblebee. It wasn’t. But green bridges began there, with the St. Johns and the two men who competed to build it: David B. Steinman and Conde McCullough. Both were bridge engineers who believed firmly in the aes- thetic possibilities of bridges, and both were self-made men who rose from poverty to national prominence. But that’s where the similarities end. Steinman saw himself as a visionary poet and artist. McCullough was a quiet intel- lectual whose curiosity led him to pursue a law degree by attending night classes. Steinman was a prolific author who alienated his col- leagues by publishing self-pro- moting autobiographical arti- cles in engineering journals. McCullough, on the other hand, wrote practical books on engineering and econom- ics. Much of what we know about him comes from oral history interviews done by ODOT’s senior historian, Rob- ert Hadlow. Hadlow describes McCullough as a clever man with a quiet sense of humor, who he’d “enjoy a conversa- tion with.” The two men submitted their contracts in 1928 for the St. Johns Bridge, which would span the Willamette River and connect northeast and north- west Portland. The selec- tion process was controver- sial: Some wanted the bridge to be designed by a local like McCullough. Others wanted someone with a national reputation. Ultimately, a commit- tee chose Steinman. He was inspired by the hills and ever- greens that surrounded Port- land and wanted the bridge to Alan Sylvestre/Oregon Public Broadcasting The Astoria Bridge, designed by Conde McCullough, stretches 4.1 miles between Oregon and Washington state. ‘I’m not sure there’s a rational reason for using the color, other than that we’ve always done it that way.’ Ray Bottenberg, ODOT’s bridge preservation managing engineer match. The suspension-style that he ultimately chose included soaring Gothic arches topped with copper spires, which were intended to com- plement the “evergreen spires” on the trees around it. Steinman considered the bridge to be a work of art. But representatives for the nearby airfield were wor- ried they’d crash into it. They wanted it painted black with yellow stripes. Steinman wouldn’t have it, and neither would the Mult- nomah County commission. On March 17, 1931 (St. Pat- rick’s Day, appropriately) it was announced that the St Johns Bridge would be painted the redundantly-named “verde green.” The decision to do so was fairly radical: at the time, almost all bridges were painted black or gray. There may have only been one other color- ful bridge in the country at the time — the Steinman-designed Mount Hope Bridge in Rhode Island, which was also green. Steinman loved the St. Johns Bridge, and said it was his favorite. “My best poem,” he told his biographer William Ratigan, “a prayer in steel.” Oregon Public Broadcasting The St. Johns Bridge was designed by David Steinman and completed in 1931. Today, the bridge is painted ODOT Green, but it was initially supposed to be black with yel- low stripes. An award small problem: the bridge was painted black. But the image McCullough’s illustra- tor submitted to the contest showed the bridge tinted green. McCullough had to make sure that the bridge matched the illustration before he could receive the award. Thankfully, McCullough was “the boss of the bridge unit at the time,” according to Ray Bottenberg, ODOT’s bridge preservation managing engi- neer, “so he probably just said ‘go buy some green paint’ and sent a crew out there.” By the time the plaque arrived, the bridge was what we now know as ODOT Green. The John McLoughlin Bridge is still that color today. McCullough went on to construct dozens more steel bridges across the state. And all While the St. Johns Bridge was the state’s first green- painted bridge, it’s not where ODOT Green started. That spe- cific shade of green, it seems, was McCullough’s doing, and first appeared in 1933 on the John McLoughlin Bridge. The John McLoughlin Bridge carries Highway 99E across the Clackamas River, connecting Oregon City to Gladstone. “From an engineering per- spective, it really is an ele- gant bridge,” Hadlow said. And the American Institute for Steel Construction recognized that — there’s a plaque on the bridge declaring it “the most beautiful bridge of its class.” When it was announced that McCullough’s bridge won, though, there was a were painted that color. His most famous bridges line the Oregon Coast. He envisioned U.S. Highway 101 — which follows the shore and is dotted with scenic overlooks and waysides — as a neck- lace of pearls. He wanted his bridges to serve as the clasps that complemented the state’s natural beauty without upstag- ing it. Iconic Today, those ODOT Green bridges are iconic. The Yaquina Bay Bridge is widely consid- ered to be one of McCullough’s best and is an Oregon landmark. “It’s well executed, and it fits the location so well,” Had- low said. McCullough clearly thought that the color comple- mented the entire state, and not just the water-logged region west of the Cascades. The Crooked River High Bridge in central Oregon’s Jefferson County, among others, wears the color as well. McCullough spread the ODOT Green across Oregon, while Steinman spread other greens across the country. All of his future bridges would be one or more shades of green. Steinman would even go so far as to claim that he invented the concept of painting bridges with colors. “The success of my inno- vation is attested by its wide- spread adoption by various state highway departments, also by its adoption for park- way spans and public author- ity bridges in New York City,” Steinman later wrote. It’s unclear, though, to what extent Steinman can truly take credit for the popu- larity of green bridges. He and McCullough were contempo- raries and their bridges were studied closely and copied by their colleagues. And it’s McCullough’s color that reigns supreme today: Technically, the paint is “federal standard 595 color 24272,” but nobody calls it that. From New Hampshire to Washington and even Canada, uncoated steel structures are painted ODOT Green. And as of its most recent paint job, the St. Johns Bridge is, too (pour one out for “verde green”). ODOT still coats old steel structures with this paint. “I’m not sure there’s a rational rea- son for using the color, other than that we’ve always done it that way,” Bottenberg said. “No one’s really questioned that they were green. I don’t think it’s more complicated than that.” ODOT Green is well-suited to the Northwest: its special coating cures best in damp weather. In a place like Ari- zona, the paint would never dry. But the color is notice- ably absent on Oregon’s newer bridges. “Nowadays we favor con- crete bridges, because you don’t have to paint them” Bot- tenberg said. And when new steel bridges are constructed, they’re made out of weath- ering steel, which develops a protective red-rust coating and doesn’t need to be painted. Paint, according to Botten- berg, is as much for mainte- nance as aesthetics. And if it’s not necessary, it’s not used. But Bottenberg, for one, is fond of ODOT Green. “It kind of fits Oregon’s mentality.” Mountain goats in Olympic Mountains could soon be relocated or killed By COURTNEY FLATT Northwest Public Broadcasting Mountain goats in the Olympic Mountains could soon be a thing of the past. The non-native goat popula- tion has rapidly grown over the past 14 years — to a point where it now could put hikers at risk and damage sensitive vegetation in the subalpine landscape. Federal and state agencies announced Friday their plan to relocate most of the moun- tain goats from Washington’s Olympic National Park to the North Cascades forests, where they have lived for thousands of years. They would “lethally remove” the remaining goats in the park. Mountain goats are attracted to salt sources, which naturally occur in the North Cascades. In the Olympic National Park, the only salt sources are humans. “We see them approach- ing people because they are attracted to salt in sweat and urine and food,” said Penny Wagner, spokeswoman for Olympic National Park. “These can create dangerous interactions if people don’t realize that mountain goats are going to be approaching them.” In 2010, a hiker was killed in the park, but officials said that was not yet a cause for concern. The Methow Valley News reports that biologists wouldn’t relocate any goats that are too used to people. It’s not just the goats’ interactions with people that prompted the plan to remove them from the Olympics. “We also have to pre- serve the wilderness char- acter and the unique vegeta- tion,” Wagner said, referring to the goats’ tendency to wallow near unique vegetation in the Olympic Mountains. In 2016, biologists found mountain goat numbers in the Olympic Mountains had increased by 8 percent each year since 2004. Now, there are 625 goats — and those numbers could approach 1,000 by 2023. Tim Josi: The Right Priorities Healthcare is a Right WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 Reduce K-12 Class Sizes Expand Vocational Career Training Build More Affordable Housing Experience That Matters LEWIS & CLARK TIMBERLANDS Recreational Access Permit Public Notice Graduation To honor and congratulate the Class of 2018 The Daily Astorian is creating a graduation publication for our local high schools that will publish on Wednesday, May 30th. This full-color publication will include biographies and pictures of each valedictorian and salutatorian, The graduation schedule is as follows: name and photo of each 2018 graduate and JEWELL special congratulation ads from local businesses, Saturday, June 2 @ 2pm family and friends. WARRENTON Friday, June 8 @ 7pm ASTORIA To participate in this publication, contact your sales representative today Saturday, June 9 @ 4pm 503-325-3211 Saturday, June 9 @ 7pm DEADLINE: FRIDAY, MAY 11 KNAPPA SEASIDE Monday, June 11 @ 8pm All recreational activities on Lewis & Clark Timberlands Oregon will require a no fee recreational permit effective June 1, 2018 To acquire a permit (available 5/21/18): Go online to greenwoodresources.com and click on Recreation Access, or Scan the QR code using your smartphone at one of our access gate signs. Call 503.755.6655 for recorded information. Our goal is to provide a quality recreational experience while improving communications with our timberland visitors.