Source: http://www.oregonlive.com, February 23, 2015
By: Tony Hernandez
The jury trial continues Monday in the Multnomah County lawsuit against the companies that installed faulty decking on the Morrison Bridge.
Millions of dollars are at stake as county officials and their consultants research the cost of replacing the polymer decking installed in March 2012.
The decking was guaranteed to last “75-100 years,” said Ken Huntley, a county structural engineer and the only witness to testify so far, but soon after started to crack while screws became undone.
Friday, officials closed a second lane on the bridge indefinitely after discovering more problems with the decking.
Here’s an update on the trial, which is expected to continue through Friday.
What’s the lawsuit about?
The county seeks at least $6.07 million in damages, court costs and attorney fees from Conway Construction Co., the lead contractor; ZellComp Inc., the decking supplier; and Strongwell Corp., the manufacturer. The lawsuit also names Hardesty & Hannover, the engineering firm hired by the supplier for the project, and the company that essentially insured the work, Travelers Casualty & Surety Co.
Why did the county replace the decking?
Built in 1958, the steel grating on the six-lane Morrison Bridge became slippery when wet, Huntley said. Despite signs telling drivers not to change lanes, motorists often collided, in some cases causing fatalities.
Why did the county choose polymer decking?
The Morrison, a drawbridge, uses counterweights to open, sort of like a seesaw, county spokesman Mike Pullen said. The original grating weighed far less than concrete, and the construction puzzle required finding a surface of similar weight, he added.
Huntley, in charge of finding the deck replacement, ultimately recommended polymer decking of its light weight and durability, he told jurors last week.
Similar decking was installed on the Broadway Bridge in the mid-2000s, and Huntley told jurors he tested the durability of the polymer decking at Portland State University – but that decking was made by a different company.
Why didn’t he test the Strongwell decking before the project?
“We were out of time, and the cost was too much, and we weren’t going to pursue any (more) testing,” Huntley told jurors. Huntley said construction needed to start in summer.
ZellComp is now the only company that sells polymer decking, Pullen said, but the county has no plans to use that type of decking again. Officials are researching other materials for the Morrison.
An attorney for Conway and Travelers said in 2013 that the contractor had to use ZellComp because they were written into the contract, according to a story in The Oregonian/OregonLive.
“They told Conway to use them,” Joe Yazbeck said at the time, “and now they’re suing Conway because they’re dissatisfied with ZellComp.”
Huntley testified that he estimated the project would cost $6.5 million. Conway’s winning bid came in at $4.2 million.
Is the county waiting to conclude the lawsuit before replacing the decking?
No. The county is researching options but hasn’t sought bids or hired an engineering company to create designs. However, motorists should see a new deck within a couple of years, Pullen said.
What will replacing the decking cost, and what options are being looked at?
Last year, the county estimated costs of $7.3 million. Officials and consultants from David, Evans and Associates Inc. were looking at aluminum decking or returning to steel grating. Now, Pullen said, aluminum is considered too experimental, and the cost is unknown.
“I think it’s fair to say after this experience with the Morrison Bridge deck problem,” Pullen said, “the last thing we want to do is choose material that doesn’t have a record of success.”