The Ellsworth Street Bridge as seen from First Avenue on Friday night.
Driving into Albany on the Ellsworth Street Bridge on Friday night felt different, somehow. Then I saw the reason: All the overhead lights on the bridge were out, plunging the deck into darkness cut only by the headlights on the truck.
The cross beams on the steel superstructure have light fixtures attached to them. And normally they more less illuminate both driving lanes below.
On Friday night about 8:30, they were out. Not just one or two. But all of them, which I had never noticed before. On this December night, the entire superstructure loomed black in the misting rain.
Did a fuse blow? Or a wire snap? Who knows?
Strangely enough, the red and green navigation lights on the bridge piers, marking the Willamette River channels on the downstream side, were operating fine, as I noticed when I took the photo above from the parking lot off First Avenue.
Sooner or later, ODOT may get word of the blackout on the bridge itself and send somebody to fix the lamps. One presumes. (hh)
In Oregon this type of permanent outage is only temporary, or is it indefinite?
The language of government confuses me sometimes.
City of Albany told me in October the lights are back ordered and EC will take care of it when they come in. Been out since excavator hit them!
This is the same public works group that spent 4-5 months waiting for a part to turn on the new signal on Gibson Hill and then another 4-5 months waiting for the RIGHT part. I guess that’s what you get for shopping eBay.
Perhaps they are on a ship that sailed, may sail, on a dock, in a holding pattern, on a truck, or in a truck. Or, maybe they have not been made. Just thinking…
I have been noticing this outage for some time, and kept meaning to ask you about it, Hasso. Thanks to Bev for the answer, but what is EC? Electric company?
Yes, an electric contractor.
EC is a long-standing electrical contractor. Electrical Construction.
Heavy into commercial and industrial when I worked with them. Solid bunch
Hey, I know! Let’s build a bunch of housing tracts before we have infrastructure to support them!
You have an opportunity to weigh in here:
https://www.cityofalbany.net/cd/east-albany-plan
You have the patience of Job, Ray.
It comes with the high pay we all get…
A day (or week) and a dollar short.
So is the insurance carrier for the company who’s truck hit the truss standing the expense of these repairs? Could this be a factor in the delay?
About 6 months ago an electronic controller box for streetlights got hit and knocked out in our development. About 10 days ago they relocated the pad for the new one which has yet to be received.
COVID, manufacturing and shipping are what’s at blame because the order has been in for a long time.
The manufacturing model took a big sea change in the 80s. The education model began to shift toward prep for a service economy.
Manufacturing has all sorts of messy rules about safety and environment. Handling contracts was considered cleaner.
Now throw in the tarrifs, international turmoil, and the virus.
Gad, what a mess
A friend of mine was following a truck carrying a bull dozer. She said the reach of the bulldozer struck and broke every light as it was traveling across the bridge. The glass was bouncing of of herv car and others as it went along. She couldn’t see a license plate.