It’s not every day that you get to see an innovative bridge construction project in action. But thanks to a live construction cam recently installed at the Sellwood Bridge in Portland, Ore., that’s exactly what you can do. Sundt and joint venture partner Slayden Construction recently teamed up on the $160 million reconstruction of the aging structure using an innovative ‘shoofly’ method that is faster, safer and less expensive than what was originally called for in the project’s Environmental Impact Statement. The approach will shorten the project schedule by approximately one year and reduce the cost by $5 to $10 million.
The 86-year-old Sellwood Bridge stretches 2,000 feet across the Willamette River. Rather than rebuilding it in sections and shifting traffic back and forth between the old structure and newly completed segments, the team will create a “shoofly” (detour) bridge to keep traffic flowing throughout the project. The approach involves lifting the old bridge deck and truss with hydraulic jacks and moving it to one side, then placing it on a set of temporary piers and connecting it to temporary approach spans so that traffic can continue to use it while the new bridge is constructed.