 Crews have reopened NW Bridge Avenue in NW Portland nearly two months early after completing the rockfall mitigation work. Over 16,500 square feet of pinned mesh has been installed to stabilize the hillside above NW Bridge Avenue. The mesh is held in place with about 350 15-foot-long steel anchors. This location has a history of known rockfalls, most recently in January 2022.
In addition to completing the rockfall mitigation work early, NW Bridge Avenue has been repaved. The road was showing signs of deterioration, and the new paving gives drivers a smooth ride while traveling.
Above: the newly paved NW Bridge Ave and pinned mesh system are pictured. The pinned mesh system is designed to blend into the hillside.
Removing vegetation and loose rock from the hillside
Crews began work by scaling the rock hillside behind and beyond where the new pinned mesh system was planned. This included removal of vegetation and rocks that were loose and at risk of falling.
 Drilling and installing anchors
Crews then installed 350 15-foot-long anchors into the hillside, shown below.
 Attaching Mesh to the Anchors
Over 16,500 square feet of pinned mesh has been installed to stabilize the hillside above NW Bridge Avenue.
We have installed a pinned mesh system and repaved the road on NW Bridge Avenue (U.S. 30 Bypass) southeast of the St. Johns Bridge. This project removed hazardous vegetation, scaled loose rock and installed a pinned mesh system to reduce future rockfall events. Construction required a full closure of the southern section of NW Bridge Avenue for about four months.
This location has a history of known rockfalls, most recently in January 2022. This project extended the pinned mesh system installed after the 2022 rockfall event, pictured below. Pinned mesh systems are ODOT's standard mitigation tool to reduce the likelihood of rockfall events.
 Above: A photo of the 2022 emergency rockfall event at NW Bridge Avenue.
|
