Bridge Projects

Portland Bolt manufactures a variety of domestic anchor bolts and high strength fasteners for the construction of new bridge projects and the retrofitting of existing bridges. The majority of these projects require hot-dip galvanized products and are often federally funded state DOT jobs requiring 100% domestic product.

Photo courtesy of Louisiana TIMED Managers and Parsons Brinckerhoff

Huey P. Long Bridge - Jefferson Parrish, LA

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

Tyson's Corner Pedestrian Bridge - Vienna, VA

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 - Portland, OR

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

New Bay Bridge Skyway Project - Oakland, CA

A portion of the extensive San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge project has been completed. This billion dollar job extends from Oakland, California west towards San Francisco. The structure was built parallel to the existing Bay Bridge. At over a mile long it contains approximately 200 million pounds of structural steel. The Oakland Skyway will connect to the new self-anchored suspension span currently under construction.

In May 2003, Portland Bolt sent its first shipment of material to Kiewit/FCI/Manson the joint venture in charge of the project. Some of the domestic bolts manufactured for this project included large 2-1/4 inch diameter heavy hex bolts used for the initial assembly. Specially designed stainless steel bolts were required for the fender systems located at water level were supplied in October 2007. To meet the demanding requires of the environment, additional steps were specified to ensure the highest level of corrosion resistance.

Gary Rusynyk

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

New Tacoma Narrows Bridge - Tacoma, WA

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

Rhythm City Skybridge – Davenport, IA

Portland Bolt secured a contract to manufacture 85,000 pounds of 4” and 4-1/2” diameter A572 grade 50 structural hanger rods measuring up to 68’ in length for the Rhythm City Skybridge.

As part of Davenport, Iowa’s downtown redevelopment, the Rhythm City Skybridge connects a plaza in the 100 block of West 2nd Street with the front of the Rhythm City Riverboat Casino.

Gary Rusynyk

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