History of the Stark Street Bridge
The Stark Street Bridge opened in 1914 and was the sole access to the Historic Columbia River Highway at the west end. The Troutdale Bridge opened in 1912, but it only took traffic to S.E. Woodard Road. A few years after the Stark Street Bridge opened, the roadway section between the two bridges was completed, which then gave two access points to the highway. This photo shows the new Stark Street Bridge, but the roadway between the two bridges appears to be under construction.
Stark Street Bridge Closure
The bridge closed September 17, 2024 when the northwest retaining wall on the approach collapsed. The northeast retaining wall across from it was also at risk of collapse. Over the last decade, multiple crashes by cars and trucks have damaged the retaining walls on the north approach. The approach to the bridge from the Historic Columbia River Highway needed to be rebuilt.
Excavation Process
Crews first had to excavate the site. This photo shows that process of removing the old north bridge approach. During the evacuation process, crews found sandstone, a hard material that a regular excavator couldn’t get through which required additional work. Crews removed the sandstone ledge in order to level the area before retaining wall and bridge approach construction.
Bridge Approach and Retaining Wall Construction
Once excavation was finished, crews began construction on the bridge approach and retaining wall. Multiple methods of reconstruction were considered in the design phase of the project. The complete removal and reconstruction of the approach was determined to be the best solution due to multiple failure points, the need to expedite construction, past traffic accident history and limited geotechnical data of the location. A new retaining wall system was selected for reconstruction that uses layers of rock, geotextile fabric and steel reinforcement to create a structurally stable new approach. In addition, soil nails (long steel tubes with inserted grout) were used to keep the highway stable during construction).
Final Steps Before Reopening
Once the retaining wall was in place construction started on the reinforced concrete walls. These walls act as guardrail for traffic and utilize a special shotcrete coating process to closely match the historic appearance of the prior stacked stone walls. These types of surface walls were selected to maximize safety of the traveling public and modern vehicles while matching historic appearances. In addition, they are able to be repaired when damaged. Final paving, pavement marking and signage were installed after the shotcrete process was completed.
