Crooked River Gorge Bridge
TYLin provided design, construction phase services, and construction engineering and inspection services for the Crooked River Gorge Bridge, formally known as the Rex T. Barber Veterans Memorial Bridge, over the Crooked River in Terrebonne, Oregon.
Spanning a dramatic basalt rock gorge close to 328 feet above the river, the Crooked River Gorge Bridge replaced a narrow older bridge and allows faster north-south travel for motorists.
The 410-foot concrete arch Crooked River Gorge Bridge features a 6.5-foot-thick arch rib at the canyon rims that tapers to only four feet at the crown. Carrying four lanes of traffic, the 79-foot-wide structure was built in 28-foot segments. The arch span supports a concrete box girder that spans 20 feet between spandrel columns.
TYLin developed an innovative construction solution, with the bridge constructed from the north and south walls of the canyon simultaneously. Steel cables were attached to 184-feet-high temporary stay towers while segmental traveling formwork was used to create the concrete arch ribs. The cables were cable-stayed until the closure pour had cured.
Project Highlights:
- The segmental construction of a concrete arch at a limited-access, deep gorge site was new to the United States bridge market.
- TYLin’s innovative construction plan integrated modern cable-stayed technology with classic concrete arch construction techniques.
Image credit: Alan Brandt Photography