Alva Review-Courier -

The bridge on Highway 50 north of Freedom at Camp Houston was closed Oct. 4 for maintenance repairs. It is expected to be down for 45 days.

Scott Armstrong, construction engineer on the project, told the newspaper that the work did not come under "emergency repairs, but rather maintenance repairs." He illustrated that if you hear a knock while driving your car but it will keep going, you know maintenance is needed. When the car quits going, then you've got an emergency.

"Our inspections have revealed some deterioration that we want to fix before emergencies occur," he said. Armstrong said there are two repair projects going on at once underneath the bridge. One is replacing an H-pile that comes up out of the river, and the other is replacing a pedestal that supports the beams.

"A lot of people don't know this, but water and salt will go through concrete. If it gets into the steel and the steel rusts, then there is a problem. A pedestal is really small."

When we asked why the entire bridge had to be closed, instead of, say, one lane at a time, he tried to give an everyday comparison.

"The pedestal is like the heel of the shoe on your foot. The sole of the shoe might be fine, but if the heel is damaged, you can't fix the shoe while wearing it. We're having to raise the entire surface of the bridge so we don't crack the surface. In fact, an engineer had to figure out the jacking sequence so we don't damage the whole bridge during the repair."

This particular project was bid out to K&R Bridge Construction at a price of $989,550.33, all paid by state funds.

Armstrong said, "ODOT recognizes the value to the public and to the merchants in keeping these roads open. We initially set the project for 120 days but reduced it with an addendum to the contract to 90 days. The contract calls for the bridge to be closed 38 days, but the contractor gets a $3,000 per day bonus (up to 17 days) for each day he finishes early.

"On the other hand, he gets a $3,000 per day penalty (no maximum limit) for each day he is late, so that can be a $6,000 per day swing. Also, he is at risk for liquidated damages."