This past winter, just as our new Brookings office was getting started, Oregon’s south coast was hit by a large storm that cost the City of Brookings up to $1.7 million in repair of storm-related damage. One of the most expensive repairs is associated with the loss of the Beach Avenue sewer lift station, which was swept down the oceanside cliff during the storm.  Preliminary estimates put the price of repairing the lift station at $770,000. 

During a feasibility study to evaluate repair alternatives, GRI determined that the most economical option was to repair the lift station in its existing location by stabilizing the slope with a rock buttress and reusing the existing wet well.  According to project manager Chris Ell, the slope repair proposed by GRI will cost the City half of their original estimate for rebuilding the lift station.  GRI is currently completing the final design and plans and specifications for the repairs and will provide support during construction of the rock buttress.

GRI is also designing repairs for storm-related landslides at two locations along the Chetco River and a site near Gold Beach for Curry County and Oregon Department of Transportation.

We are pleased to announce that Chris Ell has joined GRI as a senior geotechnical engineer. He heads our new branch office in Brookings, Oregon.

Chris is a registered professional engineer in Oregon and California and professional geotechnical engineer in Oregon. He has 12 years of geotechnical experience on a variety of notable public and private sector projects throughout Oregon, Washington, and California. Design of deep foundations for bridges and other large structures, retaining structures for roadway embankments, excavation support, seismic design, and landslide stabilization are just a few areas of his interest and expertise.

Chris brings strong analytical skills and a team-oriented management approach to projects together with the firmwide resources of GRI.

You can contact Chris at cell@gri.com or 503-641-3478.

Between October 1 and December 31, 2012, the Historic Columbia River Highway will be closed to all traffic between Larch Mountain Road and Latourell Road during restoration of portions of the highway and viaduct at Crown Point.  The popular Vista House at Crown Point will also be closed during this time.  The almost 100-year-old viaduct and its 29 support columns and related retaining walls are in need of significant repairs and strengthening.  In addition to restoring the viaduct, the work will include rehabilitation of the curb and gutter, repair of several areas of slope instability, and removal of old pavement overlays and installation of new pavement between East Larch Mountain Road and Latourell Falls Bridge.  The historic highway is one of only two roads in the United States designated as a National Historic Landmark, National Scenic Byway, and National Historic District.

As a subcontractor to David Evans and Associates, Inc., GRI provided geotechnical services to develop design alternatives for restoring the viaduct, which will include new foundations; repair, replacement, or improvement of retaining walls; and new roadway pavement.  Our work included review of available information for the structure, a site reconnaissance, preparation of an exploration work plan, and subsurface explorations in a sensitive environmental and scenic area.  The challenging site conditions and project requirements have given rise to innovative and cost-effective solutions that will extend the life of this remarkable facility for at least another 50 years.

The City of Portland's Fire Station 21 is located on the east bank of the Willamette River at the foot of the Hawthorne Bridge. The facility’s location on the waterfront allows Portland Fire & Rescue personnel to respond quickly to emergencies on the river and along the Eastbank Esplanade. As part of a seismic upgrade, the City is planning to replace the existing station, which was built in 1961, with a two-story, LEED Gold-certified building. Improvements will also include a new boathouse and dock extension. 

GRI evaluated subsurface conditions at the site and provided the design team with geotechnical recommendations for design and construction of the improvements. Soil borings were drilled in the river and on the upland portion of the site and disclosed that the existing station is underlain by soils that are at risk of liquefaction and lateral spreading during a strong earthquake. To stabilize the soil, we recommended ground improvement using compaction grouting, which is performed by advancing a hollow pipe into the soil and pumping concrete under pressure into the soil as the pipe is withdrawn. This technique creates a column of overlapping grout bulbs that densify the surrounding soil and decrease its liquefaction potential.  

According to the Daily Journal of Commerce, construction of the project is scheduled to begin this fall.

We are pleased to announce the addition of Mike Marshall to the GRI team as a Project Geologist. Mike has 9 years of experience in environmental investigations, geologic and natural hazard evaluations, hydrogeologic studies, and GIS analysis and modeling. He earned a BS degree in geology from Portland State University and is conducting landslide research and characterizing a local landslide as part of a MS degree under the guidance of Dr. Scott Burns. Through his research, Mike is examining the relationship of slow landslide movement by differencing sequential LiDAR data with comparison of total station survey data and accelerometer sensor data. Mike is a registered geologist in Oregon and licensed geologist in Washington. His primary focus at GRI is to support geotechnical engineering design through the integration of field data acquisition, geologic mapping, and natural hazard evaluation using GIS analysis and interpretation. Mike’s passion for geology and his unique skill set are welcome additions to GRI’s technical capabilities.

NOAA's new Marine Operation Center - Pacific in Newport, Oregon, received Honorable Mention in the American Society of Civil Engineers Region 8 Major Project of the Year competition for 2011. ASCE Region 8 includes OR, WA, ID, MT, AK, UT, NV, AZ, and HI.

GRI and KPFF Consulting Engineerscompleted the geotechnical and civil engineering design efforts for the new homeport facility, which opened in August 2011 and includes a 1,300-ft-long pier that serves six research and survey vessels, over 40,000 sq ft of office and warehouse space, and a small boat dock. KPFF and GRI worked collaboratively to deliver this complex project on a tight timeline while providing careful consideration of the delicate coastal ecosystem.  Project innovations included an all-precast superstructure, an innovative stepped pile foundation, and daylight-enhancing reflective paint beneath the pier.

The client was truly impressed with the engineers’ expertise and creative strategies employed to meet the project schedule. Port of Newport General Manager, Don Mann, stated, "KPFF and GRI demonstrated incredible responsiveness throughout the project. They collaborated closely with more than a dozen different partners including NOAA, the Port [of Newport], City of Newport, the architect, contractor, environmental consultant, and multiple regulatory agencies. They carefully addressed each party's concerns, responded at a moment's notice to questions, and examined various solutions to any given problem."

We are pleased to announce the promotion of Teresa Nowicki to the position of Project Geologist.  Teresa joined GRI in 2005 and has 9 years of experience.  She earned a BS degree in toxicology with environmental geology from Northeastern University and MS degree in hydrology from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.  Teresa is a registered geologist in Oregon and licensed geologist in Washington and U.S. EPA AHERA/ASHARA-accredited Asbestos Materials Inspector.  Her primary focus at GRI is environmental projects, where her experience ranges from Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) for industrial, commercial, and transportation projects to site cleanup and regulatory closure.  She recently completed a 2-year term as secretary for the Northwest Association of Environmental Professionals (NWAEP) and continues to assist the Board.  

Central City Concern's Old Town Recovery Center opened in December 2011. The new facility is located on the corner of NW Broadway and W Burnside in downtown Portland, on the site of a vacant fast-food restaurant.

In collaboration with Gerding Edlen and SERA Architects, we assisted with the environmental cleanup of the site, which was necessitated by its use as a gasoline station in the 1950s.  Our environmental services included soil, groundwater, and soil vapor sampling and supervising removal of contaminated fill and an underground storage tank. Working with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, we kept the project on track, which allowed the developer to obtain building permits 4 months after demolition of the building.

GRI received three awards at the ACEC-Oregon Engineering Excellence 2012 awards banquet on January 11.  The entry for the NOAA Marine Operation Center - Pacific project in Newport, Oregon, won both a Grand Award in the Special Project category and the People's Choice Award. GRI and KPFF Consulting Engineers completed the geotechnical and civil engineering effort for this 1,500-ft-long dock and on-shore office and warehouse buildings while meeting a challenging schedule including in-water work window restrictions.  NOAA moved its Pacific research fleet to the successfully completed facility in August 2011.

Our second entry, US 20: Simpson Creek Curves Realignment project won an Honor Award in the Transportation category.  This 2-mile section of highway in Lincoln County, Oregon, included eight new retaining walls, new soil and rock cut slopes up to 160 ft high, and a new fish-friendly bridge over Simpson Creek.

Fifteen Mile Creek Bridge on I-84 near The Dalles is now open to traffic again.  GRI worked with David Evans and Associates, Inc. to replace the aging bridge as part of ODOT's Oregon Transportation Investment Act (OTIA).  The new bridge crosses a relatively deep canyon of Fifteen Mile Creek, about 75 ft above the canyon floor. The sidewalls of the canyon consist of nearly vertical outcrops of flow basalt. The bridge is supported on spread footings, most on hard basalt. The interior bent footings are tied down with rock anchors.

Photo courtesy of ODOT

Congratulations to Walker Macy for winning the American Society of Landscape Architect's Oregon Chapter 2011 merit award for Analysis and Planning for Cottonwood Canyon State Park on the John Day River in eastern Oregon.  In July 2011, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission approved the Comprehensive Plan for the new park, which will become Oregon's second largest state park and is scheduled to open in September 2013.

Working as a consultant to Walker Macy, GRI provided geotechnical design services for soil and rock cuts and associated retaining walls for the entry road to the park.  If you'd like more information about the project, contact GRI’s project engineer, Tammy Kimball, PE.

Photograph by Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department showing John Day River flowing into Cottonwood Canyon 

GRI associate Scott Schlechter (right) received the Young Engineer of the Year award at the American Society of Civil Engineers' Oregon Section banquet on September 30.  Scott has 11 years of experience with GRI and leads the firm’s earthquake engineering group. He has completed seismic design studies for many infrastructure projects, including the new NOAA Marine Operations Center in Newport, Oregon, and the planned Jordan Cove LNG Terminal in Coos Bay, Oregon.  He has co-authored several papers on the seismic performance of waterfront structures. 

Scott has been actively involved with ASCE throughout his career.  He served 2 years as program chair for the Oregon Section and led fundraising and organizational efforts for the ASCE Younger Member Forum golf tournament for the last 7 years. In 2009, he helped start the American Council of Engineering Companies-Oregon’s  Future Leaders Forum committee.  He also recently joined the national committee for ASCE's Coasts, Oceans, Ports and Rivers Institute (COPRI).

GRI's Vancouver, Washington, office is hosting an open house on Thursday October 13th from 4 to 7 pm.  The office is located in downtown Vancouver at 1101 Broadway Street, Suite 130. Hearty snacks and refreshing beverages will be served. If you'd like to join us, please RSVP by October 10 via e-mail to Matt Shanahan or by phone at 360-213-1690.

GRI opened our Vancouver office in 2008 to better serve our Washington clients.  Examples of projects the Vancouver office has worked on include Washington State University’s Vancouver campus; the Port of Vancouver’s West Vancouver Freight Access project, and Fisher Creek Corporate Campus in Camas. We also provided geotechnical design services to the Washington State Department of Transportation for the SR 16 Interchange in Tacoma.

(Photo:  Building A nearing completion at Fisher Creek Corporate Campus in Camas, Washington)

GRI Principal Dwight Hardin, PE, GE, and Associate Scott Schlechter, PE, GE, were guest speakers at the Oregon Department of Transportation Region 4 Brown Bag session on September 1, 2011.  Their presentation entitled, “Addressing Variable Rock Conditions to Minimize Construction Problems,” addressed common types of construction that are impacted by variable rock conditions and how to identify and characterize the variability.  Dwight and Scott presented several case histories that successfully implemented risk mitigation approaches and outlined a cost-effective foundation solution for challenging rock sites.

Congratulations go out to GRI staff engineer Jack Gordon, who can now add the initials PE after his name!   He passed the state exam and became an Oregon-registered professional engineer in July. 

Jack began working part time at GRI in 2005 while finishing his master’s degree at Oregon State University and joined the staff full time in 2007.  Since then he has focused on design of deep excavations, seismic design considerations, and instrumentation monitoring.  He can often be found at construction sites evaluating foundation subgrades or observing micropile load tests.

The new Simpson Creek Bridge on Hwy 20 in Lincoln County, Oregon, was completed over the weekend of May 13, 2011.  Crews from Kerr Contractors, Inc. completed the work ahead of schedule during a weekend closure of the highway.  

GRI provided geotechnical and engineering geology design services for the project as part of an on-call contract with Oregon Department of Transportation and observed earthwork and construction of foundations for the new bridge and associated improvements.

Cinco de Mayo has long been one of our favorite holidays at GRI, and this year an overflow crowd joined the celebration. 

It’s always good to see new and familiar faces around the office, especially when a party is involved.  Kathryn of Artistic Catering prepared a zesty feast that included chicken and goat cheese enchiladas, tapas-style shrimp, pulled pork sliders, homemade jalapeno poppers, and assorted sweets. 

A good time was had by all -- even the piñatas made it through the evening in one piece.  How’s that for workplace safety?

Thank you to all who attended, and for those who couldn’t make it, we hope you’ll join us next time! 

Located along the Historic Columbia River Highway and high above the Columbia River, Crown Point has long been a favorite destination for viewing the Columbia River Gorge.  Originally constructed in 1914, the structurally supported sidewalk, or viaduct, is located near the top of a sheer basalt cliff and provides unobstructed views of the gorge.  In 1915, a retaining wall was constructed to support the road bed for the highway.  The Vista House was built a year later in 1916. 

GRI is part of a multi-discipline design team led by David Evans and Associates, Inc., that is working with the Federal Highway Administration and Oregon Department of Transportation to restore and strengthen the viaduct after nearly a century of use.  The goal of the work is to structurally strengthen the viaduct while preserving the appearance and as much of the original structure as possible.  The challenging site conditions as well as the project requirements have given rise to innovative, yet cost-effective, solutions that will extend the life of this remarkable facility for at least another 50 years.

Courtesy of ODOT Photo and Video Services

We are pleased to announce the promotion of Brian Bayne to the position of Project Geotechnical Engineer.  Brian has been with GRI for 6 years and works from our Vancouver, Washington, office.  He is  a registered professional engineer in Washington, Oregon, and California  and much of his recent work has focused on transportation projects with the Washington Department of Transportation and the Port of Vancouver, USA; waterfront and marine projects; and industrial facilities.  Brian holds BS and MS degrees from Washington State University, is an avid sports fan, and hopes the Cougs’ football fortunes will someday improve.  He is also an accomplished golfer, so think twice before agreeing to any hasty wagers on the course.  We congratulate Brian for his hard work and dedication to our profession!