The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is inviting contractors to bid on the upcoming construction of a new visitor center complex at the popular Silver Falls State Park.

The Department has issued an for contractors interested in bidding on the project, which will feature the remodeling of a roughly 9,000 square foot unfinished structure purchased by OPRD in 2005. The building has since that time been a focus of the department and its efforts to improve Silver Falls State Park, the largest in Oregon.

This contract provides an initial phase of work to improve and weatherproof the exterior envelope of the building, improve structural elements and replace electrical and mechanical systems.

When complete, the renovated center will have four stories, including a below-grade basement providing general office space. The ground floor will be highlighted by a conference room, lobby, dining and kitchen areas and large front and rear porches. Three public restrooms will also be provided.

The second floor will provide more office area, while the third and upper floor will house HVAC and other mechanical systems.

Interested contractors will be bidding on all labor, materials, transportation, equipment and services related to completing the construction of the project. The total value of the project is estimated at $600,000.

A voluntary pre-bid conference is set for 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5, at the project location at 21125 Hullt Road in Silverton. Solicitation documents may be viewed online beforehand on the state’s ORPIN system: .

All bids are due before 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20, at the Parks and Recreation Department, 725 Summer Street Northeast, Suite C, Salem, OR, 97301. For further information contact Senior Contracts Coordinator Kayleen Warner at 503-986-0701.

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Sometimes excellence comes in a flash of inspiration. Other times, it requires decades to take a concrete shape.

More than 40 years from idea to conception, the Peter Courtney Minto Island Bridge may fit solidly into the latter category. But now that the Salem structure is a reality, it’s winning accolades and attracting positive attention.

The most recent recognition came from the American Public Works Association‘s Oregon chapter, which named the bridge its 2017 Project of the Year for projects in the $5 million to $25 million range.

Courtney, now Oregon Senate president, was a member of the Salem City Council in 1975 when he suggested building a bridge to link downtown Salem with Minto Island and Minto-Brown Island Park.

The idea languished for the next two decades until development of Salem’s Riverfront Park, a project that restarted conversations about the bridge. Several years later, the 2009 completion of the conversion of the Union Street Railroad Bridge to suit pedestrians and bicyclists spurred formation of a nonprofit called Friends of Two Bridges (F2B) – a group dedicated to bringing Courtney’s ideas to fruition.

As fundraising for the Minto Island bridge began in earnest, Aaron Kimsey stepped into the role of senior project manager for the city.

“It took another three years to get funding,” Kimsey said.

Working with an estimate that the bridge would cost $10 million, money raised by F2B was added to dollars from state and local sources including the Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon Parks & Recreation, Business Oregon, the Salem Keizer Area Transportation Study and Salem’s Urban Renewal Agency Board.

“Through that process, the (Salem) City Council selected a design.” Kimsey and.

Guy Hakanson, vice president of technical services and chief engineer at OBEC Consulting Engineers, and senior project manager Bob Goodrich, OBEC division manager of bridges and structures, turned the design concept into reality.

“It was fascinating from a structural engineering perspective – very elegant,” Hakanson said.

The arches of the 305-foot-long, tied-arch bridge bow out from center. The resulting linear flow becomes almost visually weightless, as though the bridge were floating. Lighting is attached to the arches in a linear manner that follows the form of the structure so that it becomes even more ethereal at night.

“It’s visually deceptive … (and) very unique,” Hakanson said. “The weight of the deck actually holds the arches in dynamic tension. The idea is about connections. This is the final link that (along with the Union Street Railroad Bridge) connects three parts of one community. The bridges are a reiteration of that. I’ve been privileged to work at OBEC for 31 years and this is the coolest (bridge) I’ve worked on.”

Construction of the bridge, which spans the Willamette River, was handled by Stayton-based Legacy Contracting and began in 2015. Before ground was broken, though, more than a dozen permits had to be obtained. A slew of agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard, had to approve elements of the design and the construction plan to make sure there would be no negative effects on the environment or boat traffic. Work was confined to designated periods so as not to obstruct or affect river traffic or migrating fish runs. Care also had to be taken to protect wetlands surrounding Minto Island, much of which is in the floodplain and critical wildlife habitat.

The official opening of the Minto Island bridge earlier this year created the final link in more than 30 miles of off-street trails over nearly 1,400 acres of parks – a total area greater than New York’s Central Park. Each day, approximately 2,000 people use the bridge, Kimsey said.

“The response has been overwhelming,” Hakanson said. “I think it will forever change the skyline of downtown Salem – the lights, the shape – and don’t forget that Minto Island is a park. There’s really nothing there but green space, wildlife and trails, so it’s a destination and not just a thoroughfare. People love the lights too. It’s already an iconic part of Salem.”

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A Boones Ferry Road improvement , planned near Tryon Creek State Natural Area, has been on a Portland Bureau of Environmental Services list of priorities since the 1990s. Now it has been delayed once again.

Plans call for replacing a metal culvert underneath Boones Ferry Road with a bridge, as well as other work. The construction phase of the $6.4 million project was supposed to begin in January 2018. However, because of drawn-out design and procurement processes, and a tight work window, construction now is not scheduled to begin until January 2019.

“We have been working on a pretty tight construction timeline,” said Lisa Moscinski, an environmental specialist with the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES). “The timing issue has to do with the water work window, which is July 15th to September 30th.”

Work is allowed only during that time in order to avoid harming fish populations in the area. The goal of the project is relatively simple: improve water flow through the area to allow better drainage of stormwater.

“It’s a priority because of the undersized and aging culvert,” Moscinski said. “When it rains, the water rises significantly.”

A lack of money has been a major source of delays over the years. The design phase started in 2013, but was first put on hold that year and then again in 2014 because of insufficient funding. Then in 2015 the city secured the final $650,000 needed to allow scheduling to begin; the money came from Metro, via its Nature in Neighborhoods program.

Also, the project’s complexity required more planning time. Decades ago, when Boones Ferry Road was built over a confluence of running water, no bridge was included; instead, fill dirt was used to cover a metal culvert allowing water to flow underneath. However, the fill dirt was contaminated with petroleum products and now must be excavated and disposed of.

Figuring out how to deal with the contamination took time. BES officials decided to build a bridge to accommodate wildlife, drivers and pedestrians, and brought BergerABAM aboard to design it. Bridge construction will require closing the road for up to seven months. That led to a study of ways to divert the approximately 18,000 motor vehicle drivers who use the stretch of road each day.

The alternate route that was chosen takes traffic west on Southwest Stephenson Street and then north on Southwest 35th Avenue. The route passes through a neighborhood with an elementary and a middle school, which led to discussions with the Portland Bureau of Transportation and neighborhood associations.

The project also will provide an opportunity to connect regional trails to those in the Tryon Creek State Natural Area. That required coordination with Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Plus, a variety of utilities must be moved during construction, requiring even more planning time.

Currently, BES hopes to get bids from contractors in early spring 2018.

“It is a pretty significant project,” Moscinski said. “It takes a bit of time when there is this much design work involved.”

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