Historic structures significant structures of the past
Ross Island Bridge By Frank Griggs, Jr., Dist. M.ASCE, D.Eng., P.E., P.L.S.
Dr. Frank Griggs, Jr. specializes in the restoration of historic bridges, having restored many 19th Century cast and wrought iron bridges. He was formerly Director of Historic Bridge Programs for Clough, Harbour & Associates LLP in Albany, NY, and is now an Independent Consulting Engineer. Dr. Griggs can be reached at fgriggsjr@verizon.net.
G
ustav Lindenthal, a leading proponent of continuous bridges, finished his Sciotoville Bridge (STRUCTURE, May 2017) in August 1917. In late 1922, a call went out to the largest and best-known engineers of the country to design three bridges (the Burnside, Ross Island, and Sellwood) across the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. 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 have 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 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 and of high reputation.” and with a total length of 4,122 feet, including 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 Burnside Bridge to build the Sellwood Bridge. to Build Bridges, County Board Ousts Hedrick Bids were called for in March for the Ross Island. and Kremers from Job, Change in plans urged, Three bids were received with the Pacific Bridge Revised Structures for 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 rejected and the work re-advertised. had been awarded a contract for a major redesign The Commission voted to accept the tainted of the Ross Island Bridge as well as the other two bids, which resulted in political turmoil. A bridges. His contract was for $119,000 for the recall election was held, and three members three designs and supervision of construction, and of the County Commission were removed was signed on July 11, 1924. On November 4, from office for gross irregularities in the bid- 1924, the County voters approved an additional ding on the bridge. A new board was elected. $500,000 for the bridges. This new Board had little trust in the team of In his report, Lindenthal told the board that Hedrick and Kremers and began looking for an there were four conditions to ensure a bridge was engineer of national reputation to advise them appropriate and adequate. They were “Location, 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 folgrams 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
