On June 27 at approximately 10:15 a.m., the arm of the excavator struck at least six locations on the north and south support tower and lift span. Right away, the Port of Hood River closed the bridge and engineers completed a constructability review.
ACEC Oregon recognized not only the structural repair, but a coordinated emergency management response that combined engineering rigor, operational discipline, and public accountability.
As Oregon’s State Project of the Year, the Hood River Bridge emergency response project now advances for consideration in the national ACEC Engineering Excellence Awards, placing the Port and its partners among the top engineering achievements in the country.
On June 27 at approximately 10:15 a.m., the arm of the excavator struck at least six locations on the north and south support tower and lift span. Right away, the Port of Hood River closed the bridge and engineers completed a constructability review.
HOOD RIVER — The American Council of Engineering Companies of Oregon, the statewide professional association representing private engineering firms, has awarded its State Project of the Year honor to the Port of Hood River and its structural bridge engineer of record, HDR, for their response to a June 27, 2024, emergency on the Hood River–White Salmon Bridge.
The award recognizes the engineering excellence, innovation, and public value demonstrated after a semi-truck carrying an excavator struck multiple overhead structural members on the 100-year-old lift bridge, forcing its closure and disrupting the only Columbia River crossing between Hood River, Oregon, and White Salmon, Washington.
Within hours of the collision, port staff coordinated with HDR engineers to assess the damage and close the bridge based on engineering recommendations. HDR immediately mobilized a multidisciplinary team to perform an expedited structural analysis, drawing on historic bridge plans, recent load ratings, and field reconnaissance conducted using port equipment.
The engineering effort was led by Justin Doornink, HDR’s project manager for the bridge. The analysis focused on three critical safety determinations: whether maritime traffic could safely pass beneath the bridge, whether limited vehicular traffic could resume, and whether lift-span operations could continue.
In parallel, Kiewit Infrastructure West provided independent peer review and constructability analysis. Commissioner Mike Fox leveraged his role on the Hood River–White Salmon Bridge Authority to help facilitate emergency coordination with Kiewit, accelerating review and repair planning while maintaining appropriate governance boundaries.
ACEC Oregon recognized not only the structural repair, but a coordinated emergency management response that combined engineering rigor, operational discipline, and public accountability.
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Between the afternoon of June 27 and the Sunday morning emergency commission meeting on June 30, HDR and Kiewit engineers worked continuously — overnight and through the weekend — devoting hundreds of professional hours to structural analysis, peer review, and repair sequencing ahead of public decision-making.
The Port Commission convened an emergency public meeting at 10 a.m. on Sunday, June 30, marking what appears to be the first Sunday morning Commission meeting in the port’s history. The meeting was live-streamed and archived, allowing the public to observe real-time engineering presentations, Commission deliberations, and emergency authorizations.
Typical Port Commission meetings attract fewer than 50 combined live and archived YouTube views. The June 30 emergency meeting drew nearly 2,000 views, reflecting intense regional interest and the public’s reliance on transparent, timely information about the bridge.
During the incident, Kristi Chapman, who was serving as commission president, presided over the emergency meeting and guided the commission through deliberations that balanced safety, economic continuity, and public accountability.
The port’s After Action Report (AAR) documents several operational firsts implemented during the emergency response. Most notably, the port instituted continuous, 24/7 manned traffic control at both ends of the bridge to prevent over-height vehicles from entering the structure while overhead members were damaged.
Rather than relying solely on signage, port staff and contracted security actively intercepted and turned around prohibited vehicles. This marked the first time the port had implemented sustained, round-the-clock, physically manned flagging over a multi-week period to control vehicle access on the bridge.
The approach reflected engineering guidance that the primary risk during the repair period was vertical clearance, not structural load capacity, and allowed limited vehicular traffic to resume safely while permanent repairs were completed.
The AAR also documents compliance with Oregon public meeting laws, emergency procurement statutes, and Port policies. Emergency findings were developed with legal counsel, enabling the Port to proceed with direct contracting for engineering and construction services while preserving Commission oversight and public transparency.
As Oregon’s State Project of the Year, the Hood River Bridge emergency response project now advances for consideration in the national ACEC Engineering Excellence Awards, placing the Port and its partners among the top engineering achievements in the country.
Contributed photo
In addition to documenting the response, the AAR includes a look-back identifying opportunities to strengthen future preparedness, such as updating emergency contact protocols, refining bridge-specific emergency plans, and expanding staff familiarity with the National Incident Management System.
In honoring the project, ACEC Oregon recognized not only the structural repair, but a coordinated emergency management response that combined engineering rigor, operational discipline, and public accountability.
ACEC Oregon is the state member organization of the American Council of Engineering Companies, which represents the business interests of engineering firms nationwide and administers the prestigious Engineering Excellence Awards program. As Oregon’s State Project of the Year, the Hood River Bridge emergency response project now advances for consideration in the national ACEC Engineering Excellence Awards, placing the Port and its partners among the top engineering achievements in the country.
As documented in the After Action Report, the port’s response was guided by two priorities: public safety first and reopening the bridge as quickly as engineering allowed. The successful execution of those priorities — under intense public scrutiny and on an accelerated timeline — now stands as a benchmark example of effective emergency management and the basis for statewide and national professional recognition.
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