PORTLAND, Oregon — Mark Gross, an ODOT veteran, walks us though just some of the steps necessary to keep the Interstate Bridge operational.
"My name is Mark Gross. I've been with ODOT for 24 and a half years. The Interstate Bridge is extremely important. It's a double vertical liftspan bridge.
And this is just that time to start replacing parts that are very old. We've been planning since last year. So we've been removing the feet and the pins -they are the foundation on which the liftspan (holds still) while traffic and moves across (the bridge).
The pins connect the bearings to the bridge and the bearings bear all the weight. The wear and tear is the vibration. Vibration is a bridge's worst enemy.
Eight pieces that we ended up lifting and putting in the back of that pickup bed. And then that'll go to our shop. What we're doing is we're recycling. We're going to cut these bigger pins down to this size. They go to the machine shop and get machine and retooled.
They are going to take those pins and ultrasonic test them, and make sure that the steel is all good inside...and there's no hidden fractures that we can't see with the naked eye.
If all is good, then we will be reusing them. It is neat to see that old pin being re-milled. Then it's amazing to see what it actually looks like underneath. So these are the bridge feet.
He's getting ready to weld broken crack. See the crack, the V. And they'll do a certified weld on there. The parts, some are 50 years old and some are over a hundred years old. We're going to be putting those same parts back underneath the bridge over here. We're going to slide it in.
Meanwhile, years down the road while we'll be replacing other parts."
