| OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program |
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| Web Briefs (Dec 05) |
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Pipe salvaged from Green Springs Bridge will be reused.
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Simply innovative: Small recycling initiative saves nearly $75,000 on bridge program
On the OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program, cost-effective innovation is found on small projects as well as on those of massive scale. Recently, ODOT realized significant savings on one project through personal initiative, determination and quick thinking. The agency saved nearly $75,000 by recycling pipe piles left over from Stage 1 bridges near Klamath Falls to use on a Stage 2 bridge.
Pipe piles are footings placed beneath weight-bearing bridge columns to add structural support. They help transfer the structural loads from the columns through the foundation to the ground below.
When the Green Springs and California Street bridges near Klamath Falls were replaced as part of bridge program Bundle 103, there was a surplus of pipe piles. Normally, ODOT pays the supplier to take back the piles to sell in the open market. However, in this case, the supplier would guarantee only 25 cents per dollar value of the material.
With the agency facing a loss on the surplus, Consultant Program Manager Steve Narkiewicz decided to recycle the pipe piles to another project. At Narkiewicz’s suggestion, Mo Dischari, assistant construction manager with Oregon Bridge Delivery Partners, and Brent Pierson, OBDP’s resident construction manager, talked to their design coordinators to find another bridge in the program that could use the pilings. The identified project was slightly redesigned to maximize the use of the pilings, and the full project will soon go out for bid. Project Inspector Mike Bledsoe and Dischari worked with Region 4 maintenance to find a safe storage site in one of the yards until the pipe piles are put to use.
Although ODOT has recycled materials from one project to another before, what made this particular effort unique was the agency’s ability, through its contract with OBDP, to require the pilings be used on another project. Because OBDP coordinates both design and construction on the bridge program, the pipe pile recycling initiative was carried out smoothly and efficiently. Instead of a loss on the surplus piles of up to $75,000, the recycling saved that money and also the cost of buying more piles for a future project.
“Recycling the Bundle 103 pipe piles not only saved us thousands of dollars, but was also an innovation in efficiency,” said Narkiewicz. “We turned a no-win situation into a cost-saving success. On the bridge program, it is critical for us to continue to find ways to increase efficiency at all levels, large and small.”
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