ROSS ISLAND BRIDGE INSPECTION

The Ross Island Bridge is a cantilever deck truss bridge  that crosses the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon.  The arch shaped main span is 535 feet long and the total length of the bridge is 3,700 feet long.  The bridge was built in 1926, carries US 26, and is the southernmost of eight river crossings around downtown Portland.

During our inspection, we used rope access and climbing methods to gain hands on access to bridge members.  I spent most of my time, however, hanging from a beam roller – a device invented by Burgess & Niple that attaches to the bottom flange of steel beams and allows inspectors to roll themselves along the beam to perform inspections.