County evaluating Ballston Bridge
Other crews are mapping the adjacent wetlands, the high water mark, the flood channel and the county right of way on the approaches, in case the county opts for replacement.
The bridge, which takes DeJong Road over the Yamhill River southwest of McMinnville, has a history of catching anything floating downstream. That has long made it “a maintenance headache,” according to County Engineer Bill Gille.
A few years ago, a massive cottonwood snag whacked the bridge with such force that it actually shifted the span slightly on its supports.
“When you think about it, that’s a lot of pressure,” Gille said. “We had to go in and design some clamps and bolt them into place.”
The shift was only a few inches, but in a bridge, Gille said, “That’s a problem.” He said the clamps prevented further shifts but did nothing to right the first one.
The bridge has other issues as well, including rotting wooden piles on the southern approach. Erected in 1960, it is beginning to show its age.
As a result of the shift, rot and other problems, the county imposed load limits in August 2013. Later that year, it was able to secure funds to conduct a thorough evaluation, which is now being carried out.
The evaluation was a long time coming, and the fix figures to be even a longer time coming.
This summer, he said, “We’ll make an application.” But he said it will be for state allocations for the 2018-21 funding period.
Gille said the county has replaced a number of rotting piles over the years, but it’s difficult work, as the bridge is the longest one in the entire county road system.
“Because it’s so long and heavy, it really doesn’t like being jacked up,” he said. “And every time I send my bridge crew out there to do that, I get a call saying, ‘You should come look at this.’
“The bridge wasn’t made to be lifted in that manner, but there’s really no choice. You have to lift it up to remove the pile and put the new one in.”
While the bridge awaits attention, the county is cutting off two-axle trucks at 21 tons, three-axle trucks at 29 tons and trucks with other axle counts at 27 tons.
“The bridge reacts differently to the different trucks because of the axle spacing and loads,” Gille said. “Therefore, we have to have different load limits for each class.”
Trucks too heavy for the bridge can reach Highway 18 via Ballston Road, but that adds 11 miles.
