Building bridges: OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program emphasizes recycling.

Oregon's old bridges are being given new lives as the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has developed a series of initiatives that encourages recycling on all levels of its OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program. The bridge program, a statewide effort to repair or replace some 300 aging bridges in the state over the next decade, is the largest state investment in Oregon highways and bridges since the interstate system was built in the 1950s and '60s. The widespread construction will create new jobs and encourage economic growth throughout Oregon. Through these initiatives, in addition to bolstering the state economy, contractors are reusing and recycling products used for bridge construction and repair. In addition to saving costs and time, the agency's commitment to recycling also protects needed resources.

PAVING THE WAY

Although the opening of a new bridge or the use of a new technology in bridge construction may be an impressive measure of the success of the bridge program, the advancements in recycling are equally important. By encouraging recycling, the agency is demonstrating its dedication to positive environmental stewardship. Across the state, ODOT and its contractor partners are taking things that are old, tired and wasted and making them new and useful again.

"ODOT has always encouraged recycling, but with the bridge program we have improved it by requiring that contractors recycle wherever they can," says Steve Narkeiwicz, ODOT's consultant program manager. "Recycling initiatives and thresholds are built into the contract right from the start. We simply say, 'You have to meet these recycling goals, and it's your job to tell us how you are going to do it.' We've created a synergy between the agency and its contractors and we increased our efficiency by doing it. ODOT should do more of this."

In Madras, Ore., ODOT has recycled more than 720 tons of materials from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Bridge north of town. On a project in Klamath Falls, ODOT is recycling more than 10,000 tons of debris from two bridges slated for replacement. On U.S. 20 between Bend and Ontario, the agency is reusing asphalt to pave bridge approaches.

Staton Cos. of Eugene, Ore., has won contracts to demolish the California Avenue and Green Springs Drive bridges in Klamath Falls, Ore., and the BNSF Bridge in Madras to make way for new bridges along the vital U.S. 97 corridor. Under its contract, Staton has salvaged all the concrete aggregate and rebar materials from the demolition activities. The concrete and rebar are taken back to the company's central plant and recycled. (For more on Staton Cos., see the sidebar on page 46.)

In Madras, almost 580 tons of concrete was delivered to Cinder Butte Rock in Redmond for crushing and reuse, and more than 140 tons of steel was delivered to Schnitzer Steel in Eugene for re-melting.

Staton took more than 7,200 tons of concrete aggregate materials from the California Avenue and Green Springs Drive bridges. The materials were crushed into 1-inch particles and used as gravel. Five hundred tons of the gravel were then reused on the Klamath Falls site as fill and to pave an approach road.

The rebar was cleaned of all the concrete and sold as scrap. With steel prices on a steady rise, scrap metal--including rebar--is a particularly valuable commodity. In total, Staton recycled about 450 tons of scrap metal from the Green Springs Drive Bridge and 360 tons from the California Avenue Bridge.

"These demolished bridges were 100 percent recycled," says Ron Richey, estimator and supervisor for Staton Cos. "Simply crunching, loading and hauling doesn't save money anymore. In fact, the cost of hauling the aggregate and steel to a landfill is $50 a ton, not including the cost and additional pollution of trucking it to a landfill site. Sorting and recycling is truly where the value is. And it's ultimately better for the environment to reuse source materials or find other alternatives to dumping the debris in a landfill."

HIGH STANDARDS

Like many of the advancements being used in the bridge program, ODOT's recycling standards began with a good idea that was brought to life by collaboration and then put to use in the field. ODOT developed its recycling performance standards by working with contractors, recycling firms and regulatory agencies such as the Department of Environmental Quality. The new standards are in wide use on the bridge program. They serve as a baseline for construction activity across the state, codifying the processes that each contractor must use on ODOT projects. The standards cover the recycling of everything from water and metal to asphalt and wood. The model that the bridge program provides encourages recycling on future projects around the state.

"We are committed to recycling as much as we can," says Ray Mabey, OTIA III bridge and design-build deputy program manager. "By developing a set of guidelines that encourage reuse and recycling, and enforcing those standards through on-site inspections, we are practicing environmental stewardship program-wide."

More information about the program is available by visiting the Oregon Bridge Delivery Partners online at www.obdp.org.

This article was submitted on behalf of the Oregon Bridge Delivery Partners and Oregon Department of Transportation.

BRIDGE WORK

Don't let Jeanne Staton's gentle persona fool you. She makes her living demolishing old highway bridges.

She is president of Staton Cos., which during the past two decades has carved out a niche as one of Oregon's leading bridge demolition contractors. Today her company has contracts to dismantle sections of 28 aging bridges--on Oregon 212, U.S. 26, and U.S 97 between Mt. Hood and Chemult, and on U. S. 20 in central Oregon--as other contractors repair or replace the spans.

The work on these bridges--worth about $1.46 million to Staton Cos.--is part of the Oregon Department of Transportation's $3 billion Oregon Transportation Investment Act (OTIA) program. The OTIA program includes $1.3 billion for ODOT to repair or replace aging bridges on the state highway system.

Gearing up for the bridge projects, Staton bought two more Link-Belt excavators--at $300,000 apiece--from Triad Machinery in Coburg, Ore. She also hired four additional full-time employees, bringing the Eugene, Ore.-company's workforce to 35.

In addition to her payroll and investing in the tools of her trade, Staton also is spreading ODOT's bridge repair dollars around the state by renting special equipment needed on projects. She contracts with trucking companies to help haul away bridge materials, hires concrete cutters on an as-needed basis and leases barges required to work beneath bridges that span waterways.

Staton's company extends the economic impact of the bridge work by recycling much of the material from dismantled bridges. "Recycling is a big deal for us," Staton says. "It's the name of the game to some extent. We do everything we can to avoid landfills--and bridges are totally recyclable."

The firm removes steel rebar from concrete bridge beams and carts it off to scrap dealers such as Portland's Schnitzer Steel and other recyclers. When the price that aggregate will fetch on the market is favorable, Staton rents rock crushing machines to crush the concrete for recycling.

Staton started her company with her former husband in 1971 when the city of Eugene was engaged in a major urban renewal program. The new company did much of the demolition work. In 2003, Staton became the first woman president in the 82-year history of the Associated General Contractors' 1,200-member Oregon-Columbia chapter.