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Welcome Back, Buddy- A photo essay on the Sellwood Bridge’s big move

The Sellwood Bridge, our rickety neighbor two blocks from the shop, opened ahead of schedule after a one week closure.  We’ve written a lot about the bridge throughout its construction, but in celebration of the new bridge we won’t write anything at all… we’ll share some pictures we (and a client, Jack DePue- thanks, Jack!) took from the first day of the closure through the first car across the new bridge.  Enjoy!

The North face of the bridge on the day before the closure; the West side interchange is in the foreground and the East side at Tacoma is in the background. You can really see the difference between where the bridge started and what its final position would be.
An interesting detail at the end of the steel I-beams. Each beam has the initials of the engineers and fabricators who signed off on it at each phase of its construction and use.
On the first day of the closure a sheriff was posted at the construction zone to stop anyone who just didn’t believe the closure signs.
Crews swarmed over the bridge from the closure on Thursday to get it ready for the move on Saturday. Daylight was not a limiting factor, and they worked far into the night.
More night work; this picture from the Riverplace building at Sellwood Riverfront Park.
The actual day of the move was crisp, clear, and beautiful. Thousands of people turned out throughout the day to see this once-in-a-lifetime event.
The SWBA (Sellwood Westmoreland Business Alliance, the Sellwood Business group) put out food and entertainment at the Oaks Pioneer church for all the observers.
Watching the bridge move itself was a very, very, slow and boring process. It started in the late morning and didn’t finish until almost dark. This photo is shows the east support at the beginning of the move
Beginning of the move near the east bank of the Willamette.
East side river support toward the end of the move
The bridge opened in time for the Wednesday evening commute, a day ahead of schedule. The media turned out in force. Here you see County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury, who has played a pivotal role in the bridge construction, and was the first to drive across the temporary bridge.
Here she is returning from her successful trip as the first non-official drivers are given the “go” to cross. And she made the trip in an electric car, no less!

 

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