ustav Lindenthal, a leading pro- ponent of continuous bridges, Historic finished his Sciotoville Bridge (STRUCTURE, May 2017) Gin August 1917. In late 1922, a call went Structures out to the largest and best-known engi- neers of the country to design three bridges (the Burnside, , and Sellwood) significant structures of the past across the in Portland, . A group consisting of Ira Hedrick and Robert Kremers (Kremers was the local connection and had previously worked as an Engineer for the City) was awarded the contract to design the three bridges. Hedrick had been in partnership with J. A. Ross Island Bridge. Courtesy of HAER. L. Waddell up to 1907 when he went on ® his own. When announced, the local newspaper in the Engineering News-Record, to which the wrote, under the headline Good Team to Build Strong & McNaughton Trust Co. had called Bridges, “By awarding the contract for engineer- my attention in their telegrams, I thought the ing on the Burnside and Ross Island bridges to matter important enough to assist you with any Hedrick and Kremers, the county commissioners professional advice I could give. The telegrams haveCopyright lived up to their pledge to cover all that needs to be said at present in a employ a local engineer and business way.” at the same time have secured Hedrick’s design for the Ross Island Bridge was Ross Island Bridge the services of an engineer of for “six reinforced concrete arches of 267 feet span wide experience with large rising to 135 feet above the river, joined on each structures of the kind proposed side by approaches of the girder and post type By Frank Griggs, Jr., Dist. and of high reputation.” and with a total length of 4,122 feet, including M.ASCE, D.Eng., P.E., P.L.S. By early 1924, Hedrick and Kremers had a fill 400 feet long.” designed concrete bridges for Ross Island and Lindenthal’s report came out on July 7, 1924, Burnside, and planned to reuse parts of the exist- with the Oregonian headline, Dr. G. Lindenthal ing to build the . to Build Bridges, County Board Ousts Hedrick Bids were calledmagazine for in March for the Ross Island. and Kremers from Job, Change in plans urged, S TThree Rbids were Ureceived withC the PacificT Bridge U Revised StructuresR forE Sellwood and Ross Island Are Company coming in low at $414,000, well below Considered by Engineer. The paper then printed the second bidder, the Missouri Valley Bridge excerpts from Lindenthal’s report, calling him & Company. On the Ross Island Bridge, only “the world’s greatest engineer.” After indicating one bid came within the estimate. Hedrick and that Hedrick and Kremers would receive another Kremers recommended that the bids should be $25,000 for their work, it reported Lindenthal Dr. Frank Griggs, Jr. specializes rejected and the work re-advertised. had been awarded a contract for a major redesign in the restoration of historic The Commission voted to accept the tainted of the Ross Island Bridge as well as the other two bridges, having restored many 19th bids, which resulted in political turmoil. A bridges. His contract was for $119,000 for the Century cast and wrought iron recall election was held, and three members three designs and supervision of construction, and bridges. He was formerly Director of the County Commission were removed was signed on July 11, 1924. On November 4, of Historic Bridge Programs for from office for gross irregularities in the bid- 1924, the County voters approved an additional Clough, Harbour & Associates ding on the bridge. A new board was elected. $500,000 for the bridges. LLP in Albany, NY, and is now an This new Board had little trust in the team of In his report, Lindenthal told the board that Independent Consulting Engineer. Hedrick and Kremers and began looking for an there were four conditions to ensure a bridge was Dr. Griggs can be reached at engineer of national reputation to advise them appropriate and adequate. They were “Location, [email protected]. on the designs of the bridges. They contacted Traffic Capacity, Structural Character, and, for Lindenthal, who initially did not want to get a city bridge, the Architectural Features, in the involved in what was becoming a political free order named.” Lindenthal stated, regarding the for all. He eventually relented and wrote, “Just Ross Island Bridge, “I recommend that the plans for the record, I beg to enclose copies of tele- for this bridge be entirely redesigned for the fol- grams received and sent in the matter of the lowing reasons: proposed examination of plans for the three 1) It is doubtful whether the bridge on the bridges named therein. I confess that I first present plans could be built within the felt disinclined to undertake this long trip in amount appropriated for it. the midst of pressing engagements, but after 2) The borings in the river bottom indicate reading the account of your bridge situation an irregular stratification of sand and

48 August 2017 gravel which, in my judgment, does The central span was 535 feet with the Pomeroy, Inc. It opened December 1, 1926, not offer sufficient security against two 321-foot flanking spans on each side. at the cost of just less than $2,000,000. the uneven settlement of the pier Simple girder deck spans formed the long It was completely rehabbed in 2002 at foundations proposed to be sunk by approach viaducts on each side of the river. the cost of $12,500,000. A cable-stayed the air process. A slight settlement The central three spans were continuous bridge just upstream, the Tilikum Bridge, which would not endanger a low over four supports. The outer flanking spans was opened in 2015. structure may be enough to seriously were simply supported trusses, 321 feet Lindenthal’s Sellwood bridge, built at endanger high piers and high concrete long. The total length of the bridge was the same time, was a continuous bridge arches which require a greater degree 3,649 feet with a deck width of 43 feet. The over four spans. The two interior spans of safety for their foundation. No fixed bearing was on the right side of the were 300 feet long, and the flanking spans chances should be taken with the central span with the others being expan- were 246 feet long. It carried two lanes foundations for high concrete arches. sion bearings. The bridge was on a vertical plus a sidewalk over the Willamette River. 3) The axis of the bridge should, if curve with the grade on the approach spans Its cost was $541,000. It was replaced in possible, be on a straight line and on each side being 2.5%. The four flanking 2016. These two bridges, plus the Burnside for better appearance, the hump in spans were built on falsework. Bridge (a bascule span) were the last bridges the roadway over the river hold be Each half of the long center span was built Lindenthal worked® on, even though he con- taken out. For that purpose, the clear out as a cantilever and connected at the tinued to promote his Hudson River Bridge height over the channel should be center by a pin. Under dead and full live until his death in 1935. reduced 135 feet to about 80 feet… I load, they acted as two determinate canti- In the July 1932 issue of Civil Engineering am informed that an act of Congress levers, similar to the Queensboro Bridge. Magazine, Lindenthal wrote an article authorizing such lowered height In fact, some commentators called this an entitled, Bridges with Continuous Girders, will be necessary, but that it can be inverted QueensboroCopyright as it also didn’t have Reviewing Half a Century of Experience in obtained without much delay when a suspended span. Under unbalanced live American Practice. In it, he gave a summary of desired by the people.” load, the bridge acted as a fully continu- his efforts over the years to promote continu- A notice to contractors on the completely ous bridge, and the member loading was ous truss bridges. He was 82 years old at that redesigned Ross Island Bridge went out on determined using elastic methods. The steel time and still contributing to the literature April 25, 1925, and bids were due back by was fabricated by the American Bridge of bridge building. Lindenthal was rightfully May 18, 1925. Company and was erected by Booth and called the Dean of American Bridge Builders.▪

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