Page 46: of Marine News Magazine (December 2013)

As opposed to a traditional vertical pick-and-move, which certainly would have destroyed the existing bridge, engi- neers developed a horizontal slide method using 14-foot long, ski-shaped steel units that slid on Teß on pads inside track beams.What made the move even more complex was that the bridge truss needed to be moved twice the distance at the west end than on the east end. Imagine an arc mo- tion much like a windshield wiper, sliding 66 feet on one end, and just 33 feet on the other. Highly specialized lasers and GPS surveying were used by the engineering teams to ensure that the bridge truss was not bent or twisted be- yond its tolerance limits so that it was not damaged during translation.In just 12 hours Ð a remarkably short time for this type of operation Ð the bridge was slid over to its new home and opened up just 5 days later for motoristsÕ use. The alternative to the move, building the new bridge span in two phases, would have cost millions more. SKAGIT RIVER BRIDGE, MOUNT VERNON, WA After a truck struck the Skagit River Bridge on May 23, 2013, a portion of the bridge collapsed into the S kagit River near Mount Vernon, Washington. That particular section of I-5, which sees more than 71,000 drivers each day, was out of commission for four weeks until tempo- rary spans were put into place (also by Omega Morgan). Max J. Kuney Construction of Spokane, Washington was awarded the contract to build the permanent bridge, which included the contractual deadline to open the new span by October 1 2013. It was crucial to get the new permanent span in place as quickly as possible as the bridge is a critical economic link on I-5. Omega Morgan was subcontracted by Max J. Kuney to MARINE CONSTRUCTIONDecember 201346 MNMN Dec2013 Layout 32-49.indd 46MN Dec2013 Layout 32-49.indd 4611/25/2013 12:52:33 PM11/25/2013 12:52:33 PM