Broken gear box had caused marine traffic limitations

HOOD RIVER, OR – After an inner secondary oil seal came loose in the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge’s south lift tower gear box and locked up the gears on July 21, the Port of Hood River requested the U.S. Coast Guard to issue a Notice to Mariners of a temporary closure of the bridge lift until repairs were complete. On August 3, local contractor Sky-Comm removed the broken gear box and electric motor from the south tower and shipped it to Philadelphia Gear in Pasco, WA for diagnostics and repair, which was completed on August 28. On September 6, Sky-Comm hoisted, reassembled, and aligned the gear box and motor assembly on the tower. Port staff tested the system on September 7 and the bridge lift was reopened for mariners. Total cost for the repairs was  $15,000, and vehicle traffic on the bridge was disrupted temporarily on August 3 and September 6 for hoisting of the machinery. The cause of the damage is regular wear and tear on the machinery which appears to be original to the lift.