And yet, despite its importance \u2013 the Burnside Bridge accommodates up to 40,000 vehicles and 2,000 pedestrians per day \u2013 it is rapidly aging and will require a major retrofit or replacement sometime within the next 20 years. <\/span><\/p>\n Enter Sri Benson. A native Oregonian through and through, Sri was born in Eugene and went to school at Oregon State University, getting his bachelor\u2019s in civil engineering and his master\u2019s in structural engineering. <\/span><\/p>\n Today, Benson works for the state-contracted company who evaluates bridge plans to determine if they are safe. In this application, Benson is studying the bridge\u2019s soundness in the event of an earthquake. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAll the bridges in Portland are really old and need to have a seismic rehabilitation done,\u201d he says, before laughing and following it up with, \u201cdefinitely the bridges are safe, I don\u2019t want anyone to think they aren\u2019t. They just need to be looked at.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The fact is, if you live in the Pacific Northwest, you\u2019ve heard about it: <\/span>The Big One<\/span><\/a>. You can hardly get through a week without hearing someone mention it on the local news or public radio station. <\/span><\/p>\n Estimates are if the big one hits, the ensuing Tsunami could kill up to 10,000 people living in the coastal areas. But depending on where the earthquake is centered, that human catastrophe won\u2019t be the only problem. If Portland Metro is rattled, it\u2019s quite possible that any number of bridges could be in big trouble. <\/span><\/p>\n This is where Benson comes in. \u201cI do a modern analysis of the bridge, then tell the owner, usually the state or county, whether or not it is safe for cars to drive on. Here, it\u2019s a bit different because I am also trying to figure out if it will remain safe if an earthquake hits.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n With most of his work being done out of state, including bridges in Idaho and the Washington University Bridge in Seattle, this is Benson\u2019s first assignment evaluating a bridge in his hometown, and one of the busiest at that. <\/span><\/p>\n Although he is happy to be assigned to work on a bridge in Portland, working close to home reminds him of the rapid change the Rose City has undergone. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe are the only people I went to high school with who can afford to live in Portland,\u201d Benson states, referring to him and his wife Katie Benson.<\/span><\/p>\n Yet even they just barely live in Portland. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe both have really good jobs,\u201d he says (Katie works as a fabrication technician at Intel), \u201cand there was no way we could look for a house in the neighborhoods either of us grew up in.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Those neighborhoods \u2013 Kenton and Alberta \u2013 were completely priced out, pushing the Benson\u2019s out to NE 76th<\/span><\/sup>.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s a story you hear time and time again in Portland. Yet it bears a certain sting knowing that a family with no kids, three advanced degrees and well-paying jobs, still were barely able to afford a home within city limits, let alone anywhere near where they grew up.<\/span><\/p>\n And yet despite massive growth almost no one likes, it\u2019s called Bridgetown for a reason, and we love our city. It\u2019s fortunate to have people like Sri Benson evaluating the structures that are so vital to metro area travel. So, next time you cross the Burnside Bridge, remember the unseen PDX people and the vital jobs they do to keep <\/span>Portland<\/span><\/a> humming.<\/span><\/p>\n William Bessette<\/strong><\/span> – PDX People Contributor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Follow William on: <\/strong> Facebook<\/u><\/a>\u00a0, Twitter<\/u><\/a>\u00a0 Connect with William on:<\/strong> LinkedIn<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n ![\"Sri](\"http:\/\/pdxpeople.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Burnside-004.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>William Bessette is a published author, poet and longtime journalist who has been covering politics, entertainment, culture and travel for over twelve years. He currently works from his home in the Pacific Northwest profiling restaurants, reviewing local plays and reporting on regional, national and international travel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
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