| OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program |
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| Web Brief (Feb 04) |
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Morse Bros. workforce grows to help build state bridges
ODOT’s state bridge program is stimulating employment and economic growth
The Morse Bros. prestressed concrete division in Harrisburg has been humming with activity for months because of the Oregon Department of Transportation’s 10-year, $3 billion bridge and highway investment, the Oregon Transportation Investment Act (OTIA) program.
Morse Bros., which has divisions in Corvallis, Harrisburg, and Lebanon, Ore., has seen the payroll at its Harrisburg plant jump from 80 to 180 employees, thanks mainly to work on state bridges.
“The ODOT contracts have really kept us busy,” said Keith Kaufman, the prestressed concrete division’s chief engineer. “About 70 of the new jobs at the Harrisburg plant owe their existence to the [OTIA] bridge program. The rest are attributed to other projects. As we continue our bridge work, we are looking to add another 50 to 60 jobs next year. It’s an exciting time, and we are delighted to be a part of this program.”
Morse Bros. manufactures the largest precast, prestressed concrete bridge beams ever built or used in Oregon. It’s the only company in Oregon that can build such big concrete bridge beams. ODOT uses the massive beams on bridge projects throughout the state to cross creek and stream beds without using extra footings, thus avoiding disturbance to the surrounding environment.
The company’s big beams are being used on U.S. 20 bridge repairs in central Oregon near Burns and were recently installed at the Alder Creek Bridge on U.S. 26 near Sandy. In addition to reducing the need for concrete footings, the big beams also mean quicker construction without a loss of bridge safety and strength. Through the application of these new technological advancements, Morse Bros. is helping ODOT save time and money on bridge projects throughout the state.
These clear-span bridge projects are part of the OTIA program, the largest state investment in Oregon highways and bridges since the interstate freeway system was built in the 1950s and ’60s. During the next decade, ODOT will repair or replace hundreds of aging state highway bridges. The widespread construction will sustain jobs and encourage economic growth throughout Oregon.
In 2004, Morse Bros. supplied beams for 60 to 70 bridge projects, most of which were for ODOT. The economic benefits of the added work extend well beyond the Morse Bros. Harrisburg plant.
Morse Bros. buys steel rebar used to build its reinforced girders from Farwest Steel Corp. in Eugene, which in turn buys steel ingots from Cascade Steel in McMinnville. Another division of Morse Bros. in Corvallis supplies the concrete and aggregate. Morse Bros. buys the tie rods that hold slab bridges together and rail post bolts for guardrails from Portland Bolt and Manufacturing Co. It buys tools and other supplies from Grainger Industrial Supply in Eugene and from Hurd’s Hardware and Custom Inc. in Harrisburg.
“It is wonderful to see that ODOT’s contract with Morse Bros. also is providing jobs and economic growth among associated businesses,” said Heather Catron, OTIA III bridge program manager for the Oregon Department of Transportation. “One of the main goals of the bridge program is to help stimulate the state’s economy.”
The Morse Bros. Harrisburg plant is in Linn County, a region hard hit by the recent economic downturn. In November 2004, Linn County’s jobless rate stood at 9.5 percent compared to 7.1 percent for Oregon as a whole.
“The influx of jobs at Morse Bros. is a welcome relief in the region,” said Loren Later, general manager of the Morse Bros. prestressed division. “The company is one of the biggest private employers in the area. The OTIA program is having an immediate impact around here.”
Morse Bros. was founded in 1941 as a sand and gravel company. It since has expanded into quarry rock, asphaltic concrete, ready-mix concrete, and concrete girders. Its prestressed concrete division, launched 25 years ago, accounts for about one-quarter of the company’s annual business. In addition to its bridge work, the company is delivering materials for the new parking structure at Oregon State University’s Reser Stadium.
The OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program is part of ODOT’s 10-year, $3 billion OTIA program. During the next decade, OTIA funds will repair or replace hundreds of bridges, pave and maintain city and county roads, improve and expand interchanges, add new capacity to Oregon’s highway system, and remove freight bottlenecks statewide. About 18 family-wage jobs are sustained for every $1 million spent on transportation construction in Oregon. Each year during the OTIA program, construction projects will sustain about 5,000 family-wage jobs.
# ODOT #
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