Meet Oscar

Oscar the Oscillator is a key part of building a safer, earthquake-ready Abernethy Bridge. He'll bore deep into the ground—over 200 feet—to install strong shafts that will support the bridge. Oscar will rotate these shafts while also pushing them into the ground until they are anchored in bedrock, which is hard and solid rock that withstands earthquakes.

Oscar will be the strongest operating oscillator in North America. He stands two stories tall—about 34 feet— and weighs 200,000 pounds or 100 tons. That's the weight of 26 elephants like Samudra from the Oregon Zoo or one loaded Boeing 757 airplane.

Built in Germany by Leffer, Oscar traveled in pieces by ship through the Panama Canal. When Oscar arrived at the Port of Tacoma, he traveled by truck and was assembled at the work site.

Oscar is owned by the drilling subcontractor, and once finished working on the bridge, he’ll be packed up and sent to his next job.