Arch Support

 |  Civil & Transportation
barge transport
Delivery of the steel arches is being accomplished using barges and tugboats via the Columbia and Willamette rivers over 20 nautical miles.
barge aerial
Photo courtesy of the Oregon Department of Transportation

What’s that floating toward the Sellwood Bridge project in Portland, Oregon? Barges transporting the giant steel arches that will support the new bridge being constructed by Sundt and joint venture partner Slayden Construction for Multnomah County.

Sellwood arches-resizedDesigned as an open steel deck arch structure, the new Sellwood Bridge will complement its surroundings while providing ample space for all modes of travel. There will be two vehicle lanes in each direction on the west end, which narrow to one lane in each direction on the east end. In addition, it will have two, six-foot-wide bike lanes and two, 12-foot-wide sidewalks.

The team is using a “shoofly” (detour) approach to complete this project. They lifted the old bridge deck and truss with hydraulic jacks and moved it to one side, then placed it on a set of temporary piers and connected it to temporary approach spans so traffic can continue to use it while the new bridge is constructed.