I won’t lie, I’m a little surprised more people haven’t reported on the ongoing problems with the Morrison Bridge. It’s the city’s busiest non-highway span over the Willamette, and a lot of money was recently spent to add a new, purportedly safer deck.
But, as we’ve seen, there are huge problems with that $4.2 million-worth of work, and there’s a chance the Morrison might have to be re-decked. Again. It’s also become apparent there were indications things would play out like this. As I reported in this week’s paper, a study found the decking Multnomah County used on the bridge was prone to flaws years before the Morrison project started.
But Multnomah County staff hadn’t heard of the study and the company that supplied the decking— ZellComp, Inc.— was in no rush to tell them. Here’s an exchange from a July deposition of Ken Huntley, a senior county bridge engineer who managed the project:
I think this is interesting and important and could potentially amount to a big waste of taxpayer money (Multnomah County has protections in place to prevent that, but the fate of an ongoing lawsuit will ultimately decide). Maybe I’m the only one. But if you want to check out the deposition, here it is [PDF].
Dirk, if this was an I, Anon, I would change your title to “Become a bridge person with me, WHO DOESN’T want to DIE! And than Steve would be like “Munch, you have to capitalize want.”
Seriously though Portland, when you can feel the bridge move up and down while stopped at a red light because a semi comes rolling up at ten MPH, it may need to be fucking looked at. I personally bitched on facebook three years ago about our bridges, and nothing happened. They’re never going to fix them correctly. Or ever.
Um Munch,
All bridges are designed to move. When the bridge is moving when a semi passes you it is actually doing what it is supposed to do. Get a clue or an engineering degree.
I was being sarcastic Jim. I get that they are suppose to move! However, i’m not so comfortable on a swaying bridge, when its reports SD (structurally deficient (distressed bridge)) or OD (other deficiencies (distressed bridge))
This is a copy and paste from 2011 (when it originally started to scare the piss out of me being on a bridge)
The sufficiency rating is calculated per a formula defined in Federal Highway Administration’s Recording and Coding Guide for the Structure Inventory and Appraisal of the Nation’s Bridges. This rating is indicative of a bridge’s sufficiency to remain in service. The formula places 55 percent value on the structural condition of the bridge, 30 percent on its serviceability and obsolescence, and 15 percent on its essentiality to public use.
further down the description it also states
The fact that a bridge is classified under the federal definition as “structurally deficient” does not imply that it is unsafe. (WTF does it imply then?) A structurally deficient bridge, when left open to traffic, typically requires significant maintenance and repair to remain in service and eventual rehabilitation or replacement to address deficiencies. (whoa, no shit!) To remain in service, structurally deficient bridges are often posted with weight limits to restrict the gross weight of vehicles using the bridges to less than the maximum weight typically allowed by statute.
To be eligible for federal aid the following is necessary (a local match is required):
• Replacement: bridge must have a sufficiency rating of less than 50 and be either functionally obsolete or structurally deficient.
• Repair: bridge must have a sufficiency rating of less than 80 and the jurisdiction is prevented from using any additional federal aid for 10 years.
On the 2011 condition report.. as an example just in district 1: 128 bridges, 68 report OD and SD (again this was in 2011. HOWEVER, i have seen 2012 report, not much has changed) The Sufficient rate %, kills me. We have bridges that report at 82.4 % but report only fair condition. And some reporting 41.3% ALSO reporting as fair. LMAO we have 4 bridges in district 1 alone built in 1914 through 1919 (out of concrete, no shit) rated at 34.5, 35.5, 41.5, and 48.8… and all but one report as fair condition. I kinda would rather go bungee jump with a 50/50 chance. The bridge by my work is the one that scares me the most, and i have such fear i wont look it’s rating. I wanna die not screaming “I told you bitches so!” lol