With the help of special skids and common soap, an Oregon contractor has replaced two bridges in two weekends as part of a $46-million design-build project for the Oregon Dept. of Transportation. Slayden Construction Group Inc., Stayton, broke ground on the project in June 2007 and wrapped it up in January, replacing a total of five 80-year-old bridges along Highway 38 between the towns of Elkton and Drain.
The project’s biggest challenge arose on two bridges known as Crossing 3 and Crossing 4. Crossing 3 is a three-span, two-lane, 325-ft-long steel structure with steel-plate girders and cast-in-place high-performance concrete deck. Crossing 4 is a two-span, two-lane, 225-ft-long concrete structure using precast, prestressed bulb T-girders and a cast-in-place high- performance concrete deck.