Inquisitive, bright-eyed students at McKay Creek Elementary School in Pendleton participated in a special ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 4 to celebrate completion of the new McKay Creek Bridge on U.S. 395, six miles south of Pendleton.
Third-grade and fifth-grade students presented projects to the Oregon Department of Transportation to be placed inside a time capsule that will be encased for the next 50 years in a section of the new bridge.
“Our students had a lot of fun learning about the time capsule, and they are really excited about opening it up in 50 years,” said third-grade teacher Debbie Oliver.
Students enjoyed learning about the construction of the bridge, jobs related to bridge building, and how transportation affects a community, said Principal Laura Miltenberger. “Bringing this kind of real-world knowledge into the classroom is extremely valuable.”
The time capsule will also contain information about the bridge replacement project and the construction crews that built it.
We enjoyed working on this project with our client Wildish Standard Paving Co., the Oregon Bridge Development Partners and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
The McKay Creek Bridge replacement is part of the Oregon Department of Transportation’s $44.6 million McKay Creek to Silvies Slough Project that is repairing or replacing eight bridges along U.S. 395 and nearby highways in eastern Oregon. Wildish Standard Paving Co., based in Eugene, Ore., is the lead contractor.
Completed almost one year ahead of schedule, the $5.4 million McKay Creek Bridge replacement will provide continued safety and mobility along U.S. 395. Weight limits hindered trucking prior to the replacement of the bridge, which was originally built in 1956. Upon its completion in July, those weight restrictions were lifted.