Photo courtesy of the Oregon Department of Transportation

Crews remove a truss from the original Van Buren Bridge.

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) announced on Oct. 23, 2024, that improvements to the Van Buren Bridge near Corvallis are proceeding, with crews recently completing the deep foundation shafts.

Of the eight concrete pillars that will support the bridge on Oregon Route 34 over the Willamette River, four go about 70 ft. into the ground, but the other four are in the water and reach depths of more than 220- to 245-ft. to reach solid rock.

Photo courtesy of the Oregon Department of Transportation

"That's almost as tall as the Statue of Liberty," according to the ODOT release. "Altogether, these pillars use nearly 500,000 pounds of rebar and hundreds of cubic yards of concrete. Talk about a solid foundation."

"There are always some complications in any construction project," ODOT Public Information Officer Mindy McCartt told The Daily Barometer. "Our surprises came underwater."

Hamilton Construction Co. of Coburg, Ore., the contractor for the $85.1 million project, had to make regular adjustments during drilling before reaching rock layers, according to The Daily Barometer.

McCartt explained that they had to constantly make adjustments as they drilled through layers of earth to hit solid rock.

ODOT noted that the original bridge built in 1913 used no steel in its concrete supports. The new bridge supports will be packed with steel and feature more modern engineering, allowing it to handle far more weight.

"Plus, it's designed to move during an earthquake without getting damaged," the release said. "Its special expansion joints let the bridge shift over a foot lengthwise and up to 10 inches side-to-side."

Photo courtesy of the Oregon Department of Transportation

The bridge is being replaced because it was considered seismically vulnerable, was a bottleneck to traffic and freight, was weight-restricted and had low clearance.

The replacement will be earthquake-ready, have two eastbound travel lanes, a bike lane and a protected bicycle and pedestrian path. Improvements also are scheduled for the Van Buren Avenue and NW First Street intersection. Project development occurred between 2019-2022 and construction began in May 2023.

Steel girders that will form the backbone of the bridge are the next step in the construction process.

ODOT expects construction will be sufficiently completed by the late spring/early summer of 2025 to allow traffic to be shifted onto the bridge, with the two temporary bridges then removed. Site cleanup and restoration will continue into 2026.

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