Bridge Projects

Wailua Bridge

Portland bolt was chosen to provide custom U-bolts and tie-rod assembles for the retrofitting of the county sewage line that hangs below the Wailua Cane Haul Bridge in Kauai, Hawaii.   These were not ordinary stainless U-bolts and tie-rods; they were specified from the engineer to be F593 Group 2 Condition CW. F593 is a specification that not many people are familiar with but the experienced sales staff at Portland Bolt has worked on many federal and military projects in the Pacific Islands that require this grade of stainless and will make sure you get exactly what the engineer has specified. We are familiar with the seven groups of F593 as well as the many conditions and stamps required to meet the specification.   We will also provide full traceability for our bolts in an automatically generated email the day after the order ships to please even the most thorough inspectors.

With Honolulu Freight Service having a terminal in Portland, whether your product is stainless steel or hot dip-galvanized from our own galvanizing tank, we can delivery your product quickly and economically.

Steven Wallenstein

• Phone: (800) 598-4204
• Email: steven@portlandbolt.com

Photo courtesy of John A. Weeks III

BNSF Bridge Lift Span Addition

The BNSF railroad bridge over the Mississippi River in Burlington, Iowa (the first all-metal bridge over the river) has withstood years of punishment from the heavy barge traffic on the river. It ranks third on the US Coast Guard's list of bridges struck most frequently by barges. This unfortunate distinction is mainly due to its aging swing span bridge design, which limits the navigation channel under the bridge to a width of only 150 feet.

Renovations began in the summer of 2010 on a new lift span which will double the navigation channel size. Initially, Portland Bolt's bid for the custom rods was not chosen. After the low price bidder supplied ASTM A449 rods instead of the A354 grade BC rods which were specified in the contract, Portland Bolt was called upon to rectify the situation by supplying 56 pieces of 3-1/2" diameter X 13'-6" long galvanized ASTM A354 grade BC rods with 60" of total thread length. We supplied the correct product to the jobsite in just 4 weeks. Another 56 rods were shipped a short time later. We may not always have the lowest price, but we are often the most cost effective option. Our ability to supply correct product, provide superior quality, galvanize bolts in-house, offer full domestic certification, and provide fast turnaround times has a high value of cost reduction not always recognized in the selling price. The moral of the story... cheap price does not always equate to the lowest cost when all is said and done.

Consider using Portland Bolt to supply all your nonstandard construction fasteners when you need it done right the first time!

Gary Rusynyk

• Phone: (800) 599-7838
• Email: gary@portlandbolt.com

Baltimore River Bridge

In the summer of 2010, Portland Bolt won a bid to provide the fasteners for the Baltimore River Bridge in Ontonagon County, Michigan. This 100 foot long bridge replaces the old ford that would frequently wash out during rain storms. This bridge is one of many on the North Country Trail that stretches nearly 4,600 miles passing though seven states from Crown Point, New York to Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota.

We manufactured over 2,000 hot-dip galvanized, 5/8” diameter timber bolts and a variety of other ¾” and ½” diameter lag screws as well. Due to the federal funding of this job, all bolts were required to be 100% melted and manufactured in the United States. With our inventory of domestic steel and our ability to hot forge, thread, and galvanize in house, we were able provide a competitive price and meet the delivery requirements halfway across the country.

Steven Wallenstein

• Phone: (800) 598-4204
• Email: steven@portlandbolt.com

Big Branch Bridge

In 2010, the Town of Mount Tabor, Vermont, located in the Green Mountain National Forest, authorized the replacement of the Big Branch Suspension Bridge which crosses over the Big Branch River. The suspension bridge is located in the National Forest System land in Rutland County, Vermont on the Manchester Ranger District of the Green Mountain National Forest. The big Branch Bridge itself is part of the National Scenic Trail and Long National Recreation Trail System.

The existing steel and timber suspension bridge, which has a 100 foot span, had reached the end of its useful life. The bridge was originally constructed in 1962 to cross over the Big Branch River prior to Wilderness designation. Congress designated the Big Branch area as Wilderness in 1984 and was expanded in 2006. This included the area where the bridge was to be replaced. The original bridge had deteriorated so extensively that when Portland Bolt received a purchase order from the contractor in March of 2010 to manufacture the bolt requirements for this bridge, it was obvious that the fasteners were needed in a hurry.

The fastener requirement for the Big Branch Bridge replacement met a variety of configurations including hex bolts, hex lag screws, fully-thread rods, and clevis tie-rod assemblies. Although these types of bolts are everyday products for Portland Bolt, there were two distinct requirements that made our company stand out from the rest. First, all of the bolts and fasteners needed to be hot-dip galvanized, which we do in-house at our facility in Portland, Oregon. Second, all of the fasteners needed were to be 100% melted and manufactured in the United States of America. This meant that all of the hex bolts and all of the hex lag screws would need to be hot forged in our facility from scratch. This requirement was a large reason why the contractor constructing the bridge came to us, since domestically manufactured lag screws are not available in the marketplace, and the fact that we have no problem manufacturing this part sets us apart from most other bolt suppliers.

Anthony Porreco

• Phone: (800) 599-6926
• Email: anthony@portlandbolt.com

Golden Bridge

In February of 2008, Portland Bolt was contacted by a steel fabricator located in Houston, Texas to provide tie rod assemblies for a pedestrian bridge replacement known as the Golden Bridge, located in the City of Golden, Colorado. This state bridge is located on Washington Avenue and spans State Highway 58. According to the City of Golden, "While the bridge is not a city bridge, the City of Golden decided it was an important enough gateway to the historic downtown, to offer to pay for upgrades and improvements to the bridge, above and beyond the very basic design Colorado Department of Transportation would have otherwise undertaken." This project replaced the Washington Avenue Bridge over State Highway 58 with two steel-arched bridges and pedestrian plazas at each end of the structure.

Portland Bolt manufactured over 8,000 pounds of custom clevis tie-rod assemblies ranging from 3/4" in diameter to 2-1/4" diameter and exceeding 26 feet in overall length. Although custom tie-rod assemblies consisting of a turnbuckle in the middle and clevises on each end are not out of the ordinary for Portland Bolt, we were asked to provide specially machined and fabricated clevis ends which did not match any standard design available in the marketplace. Portland Bolt's ability to provide custom tie rod assemblies allowed the fabricator to complete their portion of the work in the time frame required.

Anthony Porreco

• Phone: (800) 599-6926
• Email: anthony@portlandbolt.com

Tyson's Corner Pedestrian Bridge

In July of 2009, Portland Bolt supplied high strength cross bracing assemblies for the Tysons Corner Covered Pedestrian Bridge. The bridge will connect the 13-story 295,000 square foot office building at 1850 Towers Crescent Plaza to Tysons Corner Center, a complex in Vienna, Virginia that includes more than 300 retailers. The 32 cross bracing assemblies consisted of a 4-way, left hand threaded center connection with 1-1/2" diameter A354 grade BD rods. Each rod was anchored with a 15" deep right hand threaded A572 grade 50 sleeve. The right hand / left hand thread pattern allowed for adjustment during erection. The high strength rods varied in length from 38" to 83".

Portland Bolt was selected for this project due to the critical delivery requirements and the complex nature of the assemblies. The steel fabricator responsible for providing these cross bracing assemblies needed a reputable manufacturer that could ensure the product would be delivered on time and the assemblies would function properly during erection. The machined components and high strength rods were manufactured on schedule and assembled in Portland Bolt's 85,000 square foot manufacturing facility prior to shipping. The assemblies functioned flawlessly, proving once again that Portland Bolt can deliver nonstandard construction fasteners quickly and competitively anywhere in the country.

John Wunderlich

• Phone: (800) 599-2943
• Email: johnw@portlandbolt.com

Sauvie Island Bridge

Located approximately 10 miles west of Portland, Oregon the only bridge providing access to Sauvie Island was in need of being replaced. The original concrete girder bridge was built in 1950 and quickly deteriorating. Construction started in December of 2007 to replace it with a 1,177 foot long tied arch structure. The $42 million bridge features over 1,250 tons of weathering steel.

Portland Bolt worked with the local steel fabricator to supply some of the fasteners for this bridge.

Gary Rusynyk

• Phone: (800) 599-7838
• Email: gary@portlandbolt.com

Photo courtesy of Louisiana TIMED Managers and Parsons Brinckerhoff

Huey P. Long Bridge

The Huey P. Long Bridge, located just outside of New Orleans, Louisiana, allows railcar and commuters to cross the Mississippi River. Originally built in 1935, construction began in April 2006 to increase the amount of lanes and improve the rail system. In May of 2007, Portland Bolt supplied large nonstandard anchor bolts for the second phase of modifications that would relocate portions of the rail support system to allow for new approaches to be built in later phases of the project.

The 12,000 pounds of anchor bolts supplied were 3-1/4" and 4" in diameter, hot-dipped galvanized and up to 9' long. Many of the anchor bolts had to be embedded into concrete with a coupling nut and, when other construction was complete, assembled with a shorter 3-1/4" diameter anchor bolt to complete the assembly. Portland Bolt ensured that the bolts and nut would be in tolerance and perform once embedded into concrete by using a variety of thread gauges and assembling the hardware on the rods before shipping. The contractor installing the anchor bolts trusted Portland Bolt with this critical portion of the job.

Kyle Pettijohn

• Phone: (800) 628-9472
• Email: kyle@portlandbolt.com

New Tacoma Narrows Bridge

In the fall of 2002, after five years of politics and planning, Tacoma Narrows Constructors started on the New Tacoma Narrows Bridge. This 5,400 foot long suspension bridge, $849 million, was a joint venture between Bechtel and Kiewit. Seven years later, the first passenger vehicles drove across in July 2007. This massive structure stands parallel to the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge. The goal of the new bridge was to provide safer crossing and reduce congestion for people traveling in the Puget Sound area.

This massive bridge contains 35.5 million pounds of structural steel and numerous bolted connections. Over a three year period Portland Bolt was asked to supply a variety of construction fasteners. Products manufactured for the this job included bolts for the saddle supports, main span bolts that included 2-1/4" ASTM A449 anchor rods, and large 1-1/2" diameter A325 heavy hex structural bolts delivered in one day.

Gary Rusynyk

• Phone: (800) 599-7838
• Email: gary@portlandbolt.com