Date:  Thursday, July 31, 2008

Contact: Chris Tams, Columbia Gorge Area Engineer, (866) 279-0730 (Vancouver)
Abbi Russell, WSDOT Communications, (360) 905-2057 (Vancouver)

BATTLE GROUND – The I-5, SR 502 Interchange project reached a milestone this week as the final structural component of the new SR 502 Interchange Bridge was completed, announced the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).

Construction began in spring of 2007 on the $56.1 million project that will connect Battle Ground directly to I-5. Crews began work on the interchange bridge in May of 2007 and have substantially completed the bridge on schedule despite a month and a half delay due to the December 2007 storms. Cosmetic work, including concrete finishing and painting, and installing steel bridge railing, will continue over the next couple of months.

The structure consists of over 17 million pounds of concrete and 723,000 pounds of steel reinforcement and is supported by 324,500 pounds of steel piles. The 720-foot long bridge will accommodate an eastbound and a westbound lane of traffic along the new alignment of SR 502 when the bridge is opened this fall. It will have four spans crossing I-5 at a skew; one over southbound traffic, one over northbound traffic, and two to cross the median.

In order for the bridge to span each direction of traffic on I-5 without any intermediate pier supports, WSDOT designed the structure using WSDOT “super” girders that can span longer distances than typical industry-standard girders. Since these girders are prefabricated, they have significant advantages including fast installation and excellent durability.

There are 32 girders in the entire bridge, weighing over six million pounds in total and measuring over a mile in length if lined up end to end. The bridge cost $6.2 million to build, about 20 percent of the total construction costs.

Columbia Gorge Area Engineer Chris Tams expressed his satisfaction with the progress and quality of the work. “Through the diligent work of Kerr Contractors and Cascade Bridge, LLC, the State of Washington will have a bridge that will serve the public need for many years to come.”

This milestone completion signals an end to a major portion of construction and a start to the finishing touches that will complete the project. Crews will continue to install guardrail, barrier, illumination, and the Intelligent Transportation System along I-5. They will also begin to install sign structures and landscaping and to complete final paving work on the remainder of the project. This work will be completed with minimal impacts to traffic, so the lane closures that have been in place since the inception of the project will end, returning I-5 to three lanes in each direction through the project area.

For more information about the I-5, SR 502 Interchange Project, please contact WSDOT’s Columbia Gorge Area Engineering Office by phone (866-279-0730), by e-mail (swgorge@wsdot.wa.gov) or visit the project page at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/SR502/Interchange.

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For a tour of the new bridge or the general construction site, members of the media should contact Sylvia Ross at 360-852-2537, or Abbi Russell at 360-690-5367.

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