CONSTRUCTION OF MINTO ISLAND BRIDGE SHIFTS INTO HIGH GEAR

CONSTRUCTION OF MINTO ISLAND BRIDGE SHIFTS INTO HIGH GEAR
News Release from City of Salem
Posted on FlashAlert: June 30th, 2015 1:24 PM
Salem residents may soon notice a new bridge,
built in a matter of weeks, jutting across the
Willamette Slough.
Starting the week of June 28, work crews will
begin building a temporary construction bridge
near the Eco-Earth Globe at Riverfront Park. The
310-foot-long, 24-foot wide structure marks the
beginning of the in-water work for the Peter
Courtney Minto Island Bridge.
The temporary construction bridge will be built
next to the permanent 304-foot-long pedestrian
bike and pedestrian bridge, which will link
Riverfront Park and Minto Brown Island Park.
"This is really when the major bridgework can happen," said Aaron Kimsey, a project manager with the
city's public works department. "We will see progress that people can get excited about."
Building the temporary construction bridge, a steel structure with wood decking, is expected to take
about a month, Kimsey said. By summer 2016, the temporary bridge will be removed, he said.
Forty-eight steel piles will be driven into the riverbed with a diesel drop hammer, which is attached to a
crane, to support the temporary bridge. Anyone near the park will occasionally hear loud bangs as 50-to60 foot long piles are pounded into place.
While the temporary bridge will have a short life, it has to be sturdy enough to accommodate a massive
crane that will lower steel beams and raise steel arches into place.
During the project's first phase, the crane will be 110 feet tall. The crane will be extended to its maximum
height of 140 feet when it's time to install the permanent bridge's steel arches.
The temporary bridge will also have two "fingers" that extend from the structure, allowing access for
construction.
In January, Stayton-based Legacy Contracting Inc. won the contract to build the Peter Courtney Minto
Island Bridge. The project's construction started in the spring.
Work on the permanent bridge's footings has progressed on the both sides of the Willamette Slough. Five
of six "drill shafts, the foundation structure that supports the bridge, have been completed. And
temporary pathways for construction equipment have been built.
A total of 25 Legacy Contracting employees and subcontractors are expected to be working at the site
during the peak of construction. About a dozen workers are now on site.
The Peter Courtney Minto Island Bridge is expected to be substantially completed by fall 2016. The singlespan, steel and concrete bridge adds another link in Salem's network of trails.
With other existing and planned connections, the bridge will become a nexus connecting 1,400 acres of
parks and natural areas. State and regional grants, as well as more than $6 million in urban renewal funds,
will pay for the $10 million project.
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Contact Info:
Aaron Kimsey
City of Salem
503-588-6211