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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 12, 2005 Tension cable adjustment delays Rogue River bridge By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune ROGUE RIVER — The anticipated rerouting of traffic onto the new $10 million Depot Street Bridge will be delayed until the end of October, officials say. "We’re running into difficulties," said Jackson County Engineer Mike Kuntz. "We’re at least two to three weeks away." Construction on the 550-ton, 300-foot-long, tied-arch bridge’s deck is complete, said Kuntz. Troubles with the new bridge’s tension cables have delayed the switchover from the 52-year-old bridge, Kuntz said. "The tension cables are perfectly straight and correctly aligned," said Kuntz. "They just need to be properly tensioned. Otherwise it’s going to unevenly load the arches and that could cause structural problems." Advertisement Construction on the bridge started in May 2003. During planning, public outcry against potential lengthy detours resulted in the bridge being built adjacent to the small outdated bridge — and 25 feet from its final downstream location. The cantilevered design allows for traffic to cross the new bridge while crews remove the old bridge, said Rogue River Public Works Director Ken Johnson. Work continues on the two approaches as well as water, sewer and other utilities at the Depot Street and Interstate 5 intersection. "The city will be doing utility work up to the bridge on the town side," said Johnson. Construction is nearly completed on the bridge’s Highway 99 approach. But completion of the new bridge’s I-5-Depot Street approach cannot occur until the smaller bridge is torn down, said Johnson. "The old bridge is in the way," said Johnson. Trying to build the new bridge in such close proximity to the old one created crowding issues and scheduling delays earlier in the project. An original Thanksgiving completion date was pushed back to Christmas. It now looks like mid-January will be the earliest date the giant bridge will face its greatest challenge, being moved downstream with the help of Holland-based engineering firm Mammoet. In an earlier interview, Mammoet engineer Jack Tol said the bridge will be very slowly moved on customized skids with the help of hydraulic cylinders. Kuntz and Tol said they’d heard the Discovery Channel will be on hand to film the first-ever slow slide of a bridge this size. In the interim, crews are working to raise the roadway up to the deck height of the new bridge so traffic can be rerouted and the old bridge can be removed. The level change will be created by building up a series of dirt layers to the height of the bridge deck, said Kuntz. "The grade difference is approximately five feet," Kuntz said. Much of the current approach realignment work will be done at night. But delays of up to 20 minutes are anticipated during the construction of a temporary ramp from the I-5 soundbound on-ramp. "We’re prepping up to get traffic ramped onto the new bridge," said Justin Acacio of David Evans and Associates, project engineers. Although the on- and off-ramps on I-5 will remain open during the bridge’s ramp-building process, motorists are strongly encouraged to use alternate routes in and out of Rogue River, said Kuntz. "The days we’re doing the actual fill work will be done under flagger control," said Kuntz. "If you avoid the area during those days, you’ll probably be happy you did." A special emphasis will be made to ensure traffic does not back up on the exit ramp off southbound I-5, which could be dangerous, said Johnson. Traffic west of the bridge, on Highway 99, is expected to continue relatively unimpeded. Jackson County is the owner-operator of the Depot Street Bridge. The replacement project is being coordinated with the Oregon Department of Transportation and the city. Funding comes from federal, state, county and city sources. Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail Tension cable adjustment delays Rogue River bridge ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Advertisement s