November 18, 2016 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 3A
Nehalem River replacement bridge serves as model
New bridge
is designed
to withstand
major seismic
event
By Dave Fisher
For EO Media Group
NEHALEM — Building a
bridge to withstand “the big
one,” a Cascadia Subduction
Zone earthquake, has been ev-
er-present on the mind of Til-
lamook County Public Works
director Liane Welch ever
since a winter storm in 2007.
The replacement of the
382-foot Lommen Bridge,
which spans the main stem
of the Nehalem River on
Miami-Foley Road, became
Welch’s number one priority.
In December of that year,
the north Tillamook County
bridge, which dates back to
1955 and is named after a pi-
oneer family, shifted as much
as 3 inches on its foundation
when debris carried by the riv-
er stacked up against the base
of the structure. The bridge,
according to Welch, had the
dubious honor of being rat-
ed the second worst bridge
in terms of safety in Oregon,
second only to Portland’s
Sellwood Bridge, which has
since been replaced.
The 12.5-mile Miami-Fo-
ley Road east of U.S. High-
way 101 serves as a detour
route linking north Tillamook
County to its neighbors to the
south in the event the main
coastal highway is closed.
“If the bridge were to fail,
we no longer have this vital
line during an emergency; the
Miami-Foley is the backbone
of the north county transpor-
tation system,” said Welch in
explaining why it was import-
ant to design a structure that
would not only hold up during
a winter flood but also to a
major seismic event. To that
end, the bridge incorporates
the use of isolation bearings
atop foundations, which act
as shock absorbers of sorts
to minimize damage during
large earthquakes.
With the recent completed
fabrication and installation of
the rigid steel framework the
bridge is beginning to look
more like a bridge. Tradi-
tionally, concrete is used in
almost 80 percent of bridge
construction, however that
could change in the future,
according to Steve Fugate,
president of Northwest-based
Fought and Co., steel fabri-
cator for the Nehalem River
bridge project.
“Since we can construct
longer spans with faster in-
stallation, we’ve shown that
steel is a great environmental
choice, especially with bridg-
es spanning rivers and water-
ways,” said Fugate.
Building bridges over wa-
ter adds to the complexity by
strictly limiting work in the
water and providing a short
window of time allowed for
each season. Using steel has
provided the opportunity to
save time in the construction
schedule.
“We are striving to reduce
the number of 24-hour shifts
during the water season for
less impact on the public
and the environment,” added
Scott Butler, project manag-
er for the bridge contractor,
Farline Bridge.
After a “pretty rough win-
ter” this past year with rising
river waters the project is still
on schedule, says Welch of
the nearly $11 million project,
made possible with a $10 mil-
lion grant, 90 percent of which
is federally funded with a 10
percent local match. Barring
any weather-related delays,
the project will be completed
in the fall of 2017. One thing
that won’t change is the name;
the new bridge will still be
called Lommen Bridge.
During
construction,
Welch reminds motorists to be
aware that the traffic pattern
has changed slightly in the vi-
cinity of milepost 11.5 where
construction is taking place.
There will be two lanes open
DAVE FISHER/FOR EO MEDIA GROUP
With the steel framework now in place the new Lommen Bridge, which spans the Nehalem River on Miami-Foley Road in
north Tillamook County, is beginning to take shape.
‘If the bridge
were to fail,
we no longer
have this
vital line
during an
emergency.’
Liane Welch,
Tillamook County Public Works director
unless the flaggers are needed
at certain times.
“Also, the speed limit
through the work zone is post-
ed as 30 miles per hour and
the sheriff has been enforcing
this area more frequently, so
please drive safely.”
Coastal Advantage
503.436.1777 • Coastal Advantage.com
DAVE FISHER/FOR EO MEDIA GROUP
Isolation bearings, say bridge designers, will minimize damage to the bridge during large
earthquakes.
Alaina Giguiere
Marty Giguiere
Owner/Principal Broker
c: 503.440.3202
f: 877.812.1126
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e: egranebrown@gmail.com
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