WorldWide Drilling Resource

8 JANUARY 2017 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Open the Doorway to all the Event Photos during California Groundwater Association 2016. To see all the pictures from this event, go to: www.worldwidedrillingresource.info/gallery/2016/CGA2016, or just click here. Feel free to download at will and print the photo(s) of your choice. Compliments of WorldWide Drilling Resource ® . Photos are copyrighted and released for personal use only - no commercial use permitted. Geotechnical Studies Underway in Oregon Adapted from Information by the Oregon Department of Transportation In an effort to design a replacement for the aging Scottsburg Bridge, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is drilling several holes into the riverbed on the downstream side of the bridge to obtain important geotechnical information which will be used to help design a new, more modern bridge. The Scottsburg Bridge was built in 1929, and has remained largely unchanged over the past 87 years. With its narrow lanes, tight corners at both ends, and low clearance, the time has come to consider replacing the bridge located along Oregon 38 (Umpqua Highway). The plan involves drilling four holes, each 100 feet deep and 8 inches wide, from a barge on the west side of the bridge. The 100-foot barge will be positioned so it only occupies a small slice of the river, leaving about 400 feet for other boats to pass by. Over the years, ODOT has focused on maintaining the existing bridge and ad- dressing problems as they arise. Repair- ing the existing bridge completely would require so many repairs and improvements, ODOT believes constructing a new bridge would be a better long-term investment. A new bridge could better accommodate modern traffic and would be more likely to withstand a large earthquake or other natural disaster than the current structure. Although no funding has been secured for a new bridge, ODOT is designing a replacement bridge in the event the funding becomes available. The new bridge will be designed according to modern standards and due to the high cost of maintaining two structures, the old bridge would be removed. Depending on funding, a new bridge could be constructed as early as 2018.