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The two massive towers of the new Willamette River transit bridge for the Portland-Milwaukie light rail project will soon emerge from the water.

This Friday at 8 p.m., and Ross Island Sand & Gravel will begin an 18-hour concrete pour of the bridge鈥檚 west pile cap – the base of one of the bridge鈥檚 towers. The pile cap is cast around the head of six, 10-foot diameter piles that extend 170 feet below the surface of the river to bedrock.

The piles look “like a set of spider legs hanging down below and then concrete poured on top,鈥� said Ken Gambill, general sales manager for Ross Island Sand & Gravel.

The pour will require approximately 1,800 yards of concrete – about 180 truck loads. But that’s a fraction of the 4,200 yards the company has already poured into the drilled shafts for the piles. Tower construction will start shortly after the pour; construction of each tower is expected to take five months. Eventually, some 3.5 miles of cable will hang between the two towers.

Friday鈥檚 pour will be the largest continuous pour Ross Island Sand & Gravel has seen in more than five years. With the way the economy has been, the company is grateful for the work, Gambill said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a long day, but it鈥檚 going to be an interesting day, and we鈥檙e glad to have a chance to be a part of this,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e very thankful to have the work.鈥�