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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 25, 2019)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 | 3A Community News Old Growth Swinging Bridge project continues at ‘full swing’ Walking Tour Following the closing of steel bridge strand cables will only be a quarter inch the iconic Cottage Grove thicker than the existing Swinging Bridge in 2016, being offered community members and strands yet will be nearly The OSU Exten- sion-Lane County will be offering a unique op- portunity to experience a guided walking tour through an old growth forest. The Old Growth Walking Tour will be held Saturday, Oct. 12, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Walterville, Lane County. Join Lauren Grand, OSU Extension Forester, on a walk through one of Lane County’s old growth forests to talk about what really defines old growth — their complex struc- ture and characteristics. The walking group will look at examples of what makes old growth struc- ture unique and talk about what resources these forests provide. Handouts and refresh- ments will be provided. The cost of this work- shop is $10. Space is limited, so pre-register by Friday, Oct. 11. Reg- istration information is available on the OSU Extension Service – Lane County website at www. extension.oregonstate. edu/lane/e vents/old- growth-forest-walking- tour or stop by the OSU Extension Service office at 996 Jefferson St. in Eu- gene. For more information or to request registra- tion info, contact Lauren Grand, OSU Extension Forester in Lane County at 541-579-2150 or email Lauren.Grand@oregon- state.edu. city employees worked to secure funding and grants and to make a plan for its safe replacement. The re- placement bridge should be complete in late fall of 2019. The Swinging Bridge, which has been a promi- nent city landmark since the 1920s, was closed near- ly three years ago after be- ing deemed unsafe by the City Engineer Ron Brads- by. “The Swinging Bridge is an important piece of his- tory for our community. Rebuilding it has been a great partnership between grass roots efforts, dedi- cated engineers, contrac- tors and the city. We are all excited to add the bridge back to our walkable, beautiful neighborhoods,” said Ryan Sisson, civil en- gineer for the City of Cot- tage Grove. “We also want to extend the city’s sincere appreciation to the Ore- gon Parks and Recreation for issuing a grant in the amount of $200,000 that will be applied to the guar- anteed maximum price of $804,000 for the bridge.” From the beginning, the new swinging bridge has been a true effort in col- laboration between the city, Ausland Group for design and Hamilton Con- struction Co. Together, the three entities found a way to make the replacement bridge safe, economically feasible and emblematic COURTESY PHOTO Crew members work on reinforcing the swinging bridge structural supports as the project enters the final weeks of repair toward a late fall opening. of the historic bridge. The new bridge was designed by engineers at Ausland Group, an engineering/ architecture and construc- tion firm in Eugene, and is being built by Hamilton Construction Co. “It is a privilege to part- ner with the city and local firms to create a lasting icon for the community,” said Karl Stelljes, Hamil- ton Construction’s proj- ect manager. “Our project team includes many local suppliers and fabricators which made it truly a local collaborative effort to be proud of.” The new suspension de- sign captures the histor- ic swinging and aesthetic character of the previous bridge, as well as meets modern codes for safe pe- destrian bridges. Common materials were specified and some elements, like the concrete piers and an- gle-iron floor beams used to hold the decking, were reused to keep the proj- ect economical. The new bridge will retain some of its characteristic “swing- ing” movement and use a non-slip synthetic decking material, called pultruded fiberglass, commonly used for marine docks. “This really is a feel-good community project and it is great to be associated with it,” said Greg Ausland, the design project manager for the Swinging Bridge. “Aus- land’s bridge designer Tony LaMorticella and I have worked on a lot of bridges together throughout the state and this one is special because of how unique it is and the level of community support it has.” The design retains many of the original bridge char- acteristics, but the new bridge will be much stron- ger. The new weather- ing-steel towers, which re- place existing rotting wood towers, will form a patina and not need to be painted. At one-and-a-quarter inch- es thick, the high-strength three times stronger at a 96-ton breaking strength. The stainless-steel bridge rail will also be about a foot higher to adhere to build- ing code for bicycle traffic. “It is an integral part of the Cottage Grove commu- nity because generations of local families have used it to get to school, visit neigh- bors and relatives, had their first date (and some- times kiss) on that bridge, etc.” said Dana Merryday, who heads up the Friends of Cottage Grove Swinging Bridge community group. “Ask anyone who grew up in Cottage Grove and im- mediately they will start telling you stories about their connection and expe- riences on the bridge.” “A huge stack of letters written by supporters at our first benefit helped secure a state Parks & Rec- reation Grant that helped make the project a reality. We are very happy both with the Ausland design and the Hamilton installa- tion. It’s a very good fit for the job and for our commu- nity,” Merryday said. The bridge has been re- placed several times in- cluding a truss bridge that was swept away in a flood during the 1960s. The most recent bridge was rebuilt in the early 1970s. Demolition began June 24 and construction of the replacement bridge is slated to continue through late fall 2019. 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