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BNSF FallBridge Subdivision Bridge 58.8 Replacement
Submitting Company: Hamilton Construction Co.

Location: Portland
Start Date: March 2017
Completion Date: November 2019
Owner/Developer: Multnomah County Transportation Division
General Contractor: Hamilton Construction Co.
Subcontractors: American Concrete Cutting, Beko’s, Bergerson Construction, Cascade Dive, COAT Flagging, FD Thomas, Gage It, Hicks Striping, Jonnic, K-Barrier, Logan-Simpson, Northstar, Northwest Geotech, Pacific Mark, Pacific Precast, Pioneer Waterproofing, Roadside Construction, Roger Langeliers Construction, Shaver Transportation, Traffic Signal and Street Lighting (PBOT)

Bridge 58.8 over Wind River in Home Valley, Washington, was built in the early 20th century and consisted of two 50-foot DPG spans and a 200-foot, pin-connected through truss. Land constraints required that the bridge be replaced in line, which required complex construction sequences and change-out methods.

Hamilton crews erected a 260-foot truss on a barge at Advanced American Construction’s Portland facility. The project team then used the barge to ship the truss and two 51-foot concrete box beams about 60 miles up the Columbia River to the project site. The crew dealt with challenging weather conditions as the span was shipped, and all foundation and prep work was completed under heavy rail traffic. Despite this, the crews completed all of the work safely.

The bridge change-out required a 36-hour rail shutdown, and large rail shutdowns are very rare within BNSF so it was critical that the team keep the project on schedule. During the change-out window, the old spans were removed and all new spans were set within 22 hours. This allowed BNSF crews ample time to perform all remaining track work. BNSF praised the project team for carrying out the project without incident or injury and on schedule.