With the new year, residents of Umatilla will see increased activity with the pedestrian footbridge and utility replacement project on the Umatilla River near Umatilla High School.
It has been nearly five years since flooding in April 2019 caused a partial collapse of the bridge that provided a path from Umatilla’s South Hill into the heart of the town.
“We completely understand the mild exasperation from residents from the lengthy time to replace this bridge,” City Manager David Stockdale said. “It was of the highest importance, however, that we built a new bridge that would meet our current demands and the demands of future generations.”
He said he anticipates the project will be complete around Memorial Day. Residents, Stockdale said, should be pleased with its enhancements, including viewing platforms and lighting. Also, works of art created from powder-coated galvanized steel will feature sturgeon and salmon.
Umatilla School District Superintendent Heidi Sipe said she is looking forward to having access to the bridge again. She expressed appreciation to the city for continuing to navigate challenges to replace it.
“I believe the bridge will be an important connector between the South Hill neighborhood and the downtown area,” Sipe said. “It’s wonderful for students and families to be able to walk to events and activities and this will be a great asset to the community.”
Damage wasn’t limited to the pedestrian path. Other problems, Stockdale said, included the loss of telecommunication lines, impacting phone, internet and cable, as well as a natural gas line and a 12-inch water mainline that hung on the bridge.
“The telecommunication lines have been replaced already by those companies and were re-routed,” he said. “The natural gas line will be replaced this coming spring by Cascade Natural Gas.”
Stockdale said when the original structure was built in 1978, its expected lifespan was 50-60 years. He said its replacement should last 65-75 years.
“This is due to utilizing steel and new technologies of our designed abutments, plus removing the impacts that nature had each year on the piers,” he said.
Project particulars
A significant amount of time, Stockdale said, has been spent working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Had the city opted to replace the structure exactly as it was, he said the process wouldn’t have taken as long.
However, he said the 40-year-old bridge was constructed to meet the needs of Umatilla at that time. Also, he said it became apparent that it was too low, subjecting it to possible damage during flooding events. The new one, he said, will sit approximately 8 feet higher at the abutments and with a minor arch, it will reach nearly 10 feet at the center.
Also, he said the new structure was engineered to span the entire river — removing the need for piers to support it. Allowing the water to flow freely, Stockdale said, eliminates the stress of debris buildup.
“It was not prudent to replace that bridge with the exact same bridge,” he said. “We also needed the bridge to meet our growing demands, particularly be able to carry a new significantly larger water main across it.”
While its primary purpose is to serve pedestrians, Stockdale said the new structure has been engineered to accommodate emergency vehicles, if necessary. The load capacity, he said, will allow access for police vehicles, ambulances, an empty water tender and small fire apparatus. And to meet the growing demands of the city, the bridge will support an 18-inch water main with the capacity to add another 18-inch line in the future.
The city manager said it took about 18 months to convince FEMA that engineering and installing an improved version of the bridge was in the best interest of the public. The total project cost, Stockdale said, is $6.6 million, with FEMA footing $4.8 million.
The rest is covered by $100,000 from insurance, $700,000 from Business Oregon’s Special Public Works Grant Funds and $1 million in city funds through a revenue bond. The short-term loan, Stockdale said, will not increase taxes, as it is paid through the utilization of rate fees.
Project impacts
Other delays with the project, he said, included evaluating potential environmental or cultural impacts. He said no records could be found — between the city of Umatilla, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the State Historic Preservation Office or the Oregon Division of State Lands — regarding any environmental or cultural resource studies being performed when the original bridge was constructed.
“The Umatilla River is rich in cultural resources, particularly near the Umatilla/Columbia rivers confluence,” Stockdale said. “This area is part of 35UM-1 on the National Register of Historic Places.”
Stockdale likened the process to “a bit of a ping-pong approach,” with each agency completing some work and sharing results. Each entity, he said, needed input from the others to form conclusions.
“It was important to work closely with our project partners and to build something that everyone can be proud of,” he said. “It will play a key role in transportation safety, pedestrian use, recreation, fishing, and river habitat; all the while being good stewards of both environmental and cultural resources.”
