| Van Buren Bridge Replacement Project |
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| Current Status |
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The Corvallis River Crossing/Van Buren Bridge Alternatives Study has been completed. For information of the project moved forward from the study’s conclusions please see OR34/U.S. 20 South Bypass to Peoria Road.
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| Overview |
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Van Buren Bridge, view to north
The Van Buren Bridge carries eastbound traffic from Corvallis and Benton County across the Willamette River on Oregon 34. Built in 1913, the bridge is the oldest of three bridges linking Benton and Linn Counties in the Corvallis area. Until the Harrison Bridge was constructed in 1964, eastbound and westbound traffic used the Van Buren Bridge. Construction of the third bridge in the early 1990s, the Southern Leg of the Corvallis Bypass (Southern Bypass), shifted about half the vehicle traffic away from the Van Buren and Harrison Street Bridges.
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| Project Purpose |
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The purpose of the project is to develop an alternative that can meet the multimodal transportation needs of the current bridge. The project must also accommodate growth in traffic that is expected to occur by the year 2030 and meed traffic mobility standards in order for the project to be eligible for federal funding. Traffic mobility is measured in terms of the delay experienced by drivers at intersections. The existing bridge is functionally obsolete and cannot feasibly be repaired or modified to meet current and future vehicle transportation needs. The bridge is no longer capable of carrying Oregon Legal Loads* and is posted for weight restrictions. Vehicles that exceed the posted load limits must use the US 20/OR 34 bypass located in the southern end of Corvallis. The narrow width of the bridge only allows for one lane of traffic, but current traffic demands warrant two traffic lanes. Bicycle and pedestrian facilities do not meet current standards.
The condition of the Van Buren Bridge has been evaluated several times over the years. For several years, maintenance activity was kept to a minimum because bridge replacement was believed to be imminent. However, work has been undertaken to extend the useful life of the bridge. The bridge deck was replaced in the mid-1990s. During 2007, the bridge trusses were rehabilitated, lead-based paint was removed and the bridge was repainted to its original color. The bridge now can accommodate vehicles within its original design limitations, but the bridge cannot accommodate vehicle loads greater than 80,000 pounds, loads taller than 15 feet 11 inches, or loads wider than 16 feet. Vehicles exceeding these dimensions must re-route to the Southern Bypass. 2008 traffic volumes across the bridge result in congestion problems at several downtown Corvallis intersections that are expected to worsen in the future. However, because the Van Buren Bridge is a through-truss design, it is not possible to widen the bridge. An additional bridge across the Willamette River is needed to respond to the current and future travel demand.
Through input from public meetings, stakeholder advisory groups, the City of Corvallis, Linn and Benton Counties and the Corvallis Area Metropolitan Planning Organization this project is now in active development.
During 2005 and 2006, several downtown alternatives were evaluated. Through input from public meetings, stakeholder advisory groups, the City of Corvallis, Linn and Benton Counties and the Corvallis Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the range of alternatives were reduced to bridge alternatives with an at-grade intersection at First Street and located adjacent to and just downstream from the existing bridge. Continued analysis in 2007 resulted in a decision to evaluate whether the long-planned “North Leg of the Corvallis Bypass (Northern Bypass)“ also could resolve the transportation need. The Northern Bypass was evaluated as part of the complete Corvallis Bypass. It is included in the Corvallis Transportation System Plan and the Linn County Comprehensive Plan.
Following the identification of alternatives, all reasonable alternatives will be evaluated for environmental impacts as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). If the Northern Bypass is determined to be a viable alternative, this analysis likely will be classified as an Environmental Impact Statement because a new transportation corridor would be under consideration.
* An Oregon Legal Load is the weight a type of truck can carry without needing a special permit.
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| Background |
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The existing bridge was judged to be functionally obsolete in the 1970s and has been slated for replacement since that time. In the mid-1980s an attempt to open the span resulted in the entire center span shifting on its foundation and required cranes to lift it back in place. The swing span has been “frozen” since that time. In 1993 the bridge was rated as having a sufficiency rating of 16.0 on a scale of 0 to 100. Bridges with sufficiency ratings below 50 are considered to be functionally obsolete. The low sufficiency rating in 1993 was due to its overall deteriorated condition, structural deficiencies, poor serviceability (including narrow width for the size of vehicles using it), and its functional and geometrical obsolescence (does not meet current design standards).
In the early 1990s, a project team developed several alternatives for replacing the bridge in preparation for an environmental assessment until the funding was rescinded. To avoid additional weight restrictions or possible closure, immediate remedial action was taken on selected joints and members, and the deck was completely replaced. Based on these repairs, the sufficiency rating was increased to greater than 50. The repairs were intended to be temporary, lasting on the order of 8 to 12 years, to allow time for identifying funds for a replacement project. The Van Buren Bridge was repaired and painted in 2007. This will keep the bridge "functional' for awhile. It remains under the "no permitted trucks" limitation as it was previously.
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| Historic Features |
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The Van Buren Bridge was built in 1913. It replaced an earlier ferry service at the same location that connected Marysville (now Corvallis) to Orleans as early as 1851. The bridge was designed by Portland engineer Andrew J. Porter of the Coast Bridge Company, a prolific bridge building company in the years 1910 to 1917. The Van Buren Bridge was the first bridge over the Willamette in Corvallis, and is the third oldest bridge remaining over the river, after the Hawthorne (1910) and Steel (1912) Bridges in Portland.
Van Buren Bridge following Columbus Day Storm (1962), view to east
The Van Buren Bridge is a pin-connected steel through truss. Pin connected trusses are a rare and obsolete technology, with only 20 examples of pin connected trusses in Oregon. The Van Buren Bridge is the only pin connected moveable bridge in Oregon, and one of only two swing span highway bridges remaining in the state. Swing span technology became obsolete with development of the bascule and vertical lift types of moveable bridges, which opened much faster and could provide larger horizontal clearance for boats. The other remaining swing span highway bridge is the Umpqua River Bridge on US 101 in Reedsport, built in 1936. The Van Buren Bridge is unique within the Oregon context, and was determined eligible for the National Register in 1993.
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| Alternatives Selection Process |
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Public input is a critical part of the alternatives development process. Key components of the process include interviews with stakeholders in the community; two public open houses; press releases, articles and inserts in the City of Corvallis's newsletter; a Stakeholders Advisory Committee to advise decision-makers; and a decision-making body, the Project Management Team, that includes local elected officials.
Committee Members
Project Management Team:
Charlie Tomlinson – Mayor, City of Corvallis
Linda Modrell – Benton County Commissioner and representative to MPO and ACT
Jerry Wolcott – Project Leader, ODOT
Bob Doran – District 4 Manager, ODOT
Bernie Kleutsch – Bridge Geo/Hydro Unit Manager
Norm Rauscher – Environmental Project Manager, ODOT
Roger Nyquist – Linn County Commissioner
Rod Thompson – Environmental Project Manager, ODOT
Stakeholder Advisory Committee:
David Livingston – Riverfront Commission
Rebecca Landis – Corvallis-Albany Farmers’ Markets
Ali Bonakdar – Corvallis MPO
Randy Keller for Charlie Fisher – Parks and Recreation
Bob Newton – Historic Preservation
Greg Bennett – Bicycle & Pedestrian Commission
Steve Rogers – City of Corvallis Public Works
Scott Carroll – Good Samaritan Hospital
Eric Blackledge – Corvallis Area CoC
Henry Alman – OSU
Pat Lampton – Downtown Strategic Planning Committee
James Thom – Hewlett Packard
Hal Brauner – City Council, Corvallis
Project Management Team (PMT) Meetings:
Osborn Aquatic Center Conference Room
1940 NW Highland Drive, Corvallis
· PMT Meeting - June 2nd 2 to 4 p.m.
Stakeholder Advisory Committee Meetings:
Osborn Aquatic Center Conference Room
1940 NW Highland Drive, Corvallis
· SAC Meeting - June 2nd 5 to 7 p.m.
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| Additional Project Information |
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| Project Library |
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| Contacts |
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