What a great day to set the Grand Avenue Park Bridge into place! The mild weather without rain or wind allowed the bridge movement to be done in the best weather possible. The contractors worked around the clock with multiple crews to be ready for the 6 a.m. track-closure window on Wednesday, September 25, 2019. At that time, the contractor began covering the railroad tracks with steel plates while simultaneously removing the southeast lifting tower. Shortly after 9 a.m., the bridge was moved south on the highway to make room to build a ramp between the road and the railroad grade.
Preparing the path for moving of the bridge into place over the railroad tracks. The bridge sits atop the transporters and crib stack, secured and ready to roll.
The lone operator of the transporters that moved the bridge stands in West Marine View Drive behind the transporters with the controls. Spotters on all sides of the bridge communicate to him as he maneuvers the 1,000,000-pound load between the two power poles for the raised transmission lines. The power was turned off prior to the move.
Spectators line the hedge at Grand Avenue Park to watch the bridge move between the power poles and up onto the railroad tracks.
The rear transporter wheels and front transporter wheels are turned in opposing directions to rotate the bridge 90 degrees to the road.
The bridge approaches the pin bearings on the east abutment located at Grand Avenue Park. Workers prepare for touchdown of the bridge. The east abutment is supported by two 6-foot-diameter shafts that are 60 feet long.
The west bearings have been lowered onto the west abutment with a tolerance of only half an inch. The chains securing the bridge load have been disconnected. Preparations for moving the transporters and crib stack out from under the bridge begin.
The contractor completed removal of the materials from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway by the end to the track closure window at 8 p.m. Trains began running again on the tracks shortly after that time. Work continued into the night with crews taking shifts to break down the equipment in West Marine View Drive for hauling out on 39 truckloads.
Video of the move
A video of the placement of the bridge can be found here or on the City of Everett Facebook account.
Acknowledgments
This project couldn’t happen without a large team and lots of support. Many thanks to the efforts of everyone that worked on the Grand Avenue Park Bridge project!
- Construction: Interwest Construction, Oxbo Mega Transport Solutions and many subcontractors and suppliers
- Construction Management: KBA and City of Everett Public Works
- Design: KPFF Consulting Engineers, LMN Architects, HWA GeoSciences, City of Everett Parks & Public Works, Landau Associates, HDR, The GreenBusch Group, Tres West Engineers and Stantec
- Utilities Accommodations: Snohomish County PUD, Puget Sound Energy and City of Everett Utilities
- Property Coordination: City of Everett Real Property, Parks & Public Works; Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and Port of Everett
- Funding Partners: Washington State Department of Transportation/Federal Highway Administration
- Project Administration, Coordination, and Communication: City of Everett Public Works, Parks, Facilities, Police, Fire, Transit, Traffic and Administration
- Boards & Commissions: City of Everett City Council, Planning Commission, Parks Board, Tree Committee, Historical Commission and Port of Everett Commission
Good to know
- West Marine View Drive will reopen to traffic on Friday, September 27. One lane with alternating traffic will be controlled by flaggers during the contractor’s workday.
- BNSF Railway has approved a waiver for their fourth quarter moratorium for over-track work. This allows the contractor to begin work on the pedestrian decks.
