Seven winners have been named in Portland Cement Association’s (PCA) Twelfth Biennial Bridge Awards Competition. The competition, instituted in 1988, recognizes excellence in design and construction of concrete bridges. The 2010 program attracted 38 entries from Canada and the United States, covering a variety of structure types and construction methods. All structures were essentially completed between April 2008 and September 2009. The winners were recognized at the 2010 Concrete Bridge Conference on Feb. 25 in Phoenix, Ariz. This year's winning projects are:
Winning projects were selected based on creativity, functionality, aesthetics, sustainability, and economy in design and construction by a jury of three prominent bridge professionals: Fred Gottemoeller, principal, Bridgescape LLC, Columbia, Md.; Myint Lwin, director, Office of Bridge Technology, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC; and Kendal Walus, state structure and bridge engineer, Virginia Department of Transportation. The next installment of the bridge awards is scheduled for 2012. More about the winners:
Seattle Sound Transit Central Link Light Rail—Tukwila Segment in Seattle, Wash., is the last link in a 20-mile mass transit Central Link line, and connects the King County International Airport with the Sea-Tac Airport. The project contains 4.2 miles of elevated guideway carrying twin tracks which needed to span a major freeway, a railroad and rail yard and an environmentally-sensitive river. Segmental construction was used for the guideway. Normal span lengths were 132 feet and were constructed with the span-by-span method, while long-span structures up to 350 feet were needed and were built using the balanced cantilever method. Engineers incorporated design requirements for high seismic activity, and also focused on aesthetics and minimizing construction time. A new box girder-shape (segment) was designed to reduce mass and have a less intrusive appearance. Construction proceeded from an erection gantry at the top of the structures, avoiding ground based falsework and cranes and reducing impact to the traveling public.
Seattle Sound Transit BridgeProject Principals: Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit), owner; International Bridge Technologies, Inc., engineer; PCL Construction Services, Inc., contractor; Stoneway Concrete, concrete supplier; Bethlehem Construction, Inc. precast concrete.
Jury Comments: This bridge is a good example of what happens when you repeat individual elements which are themselves attractive …the bridge ends up being both attractive and economical all at the same time. The accelerated bridge construction helped minimize the impact of the overall project time-wise. Photo Courtesy of International Bridge Technologies, Inc.
Pedestrian Bridge Over Interstate 5 connects neighborhoods in Eugene, Ore., west of the freeway to a regional shopping center east of the freeway in Springfield. The concrete superstructure for the main spans of this cable-stayed bridge is only 1.17 feet thick, permitting designers to set the deck elevation lower than they would if a conventional precast girder bridge had been used. This allowed the approach spans to be lower in elevation, and resulted in significant cost savings. The two 105-foot main spans consist of precast concrete deck panels composite with a cast-in-place topping. The contractor precast the concrete segments for the pylon in the highway median adjacent to the bridge. The segments were lifted by crane into place and post-tensioned together. The eleven 30-foot long approach spans (six on one side of the bridge and five on the other) were all cast-in-place concrete ramps. A spiral staircase was provided at one end of the bridge to shorten pedestrians’ travel distance.Interstate 5 Pedestrian Bridge
Project Principals: Oregon Department of Transportation, owner; OBEC Consulting Engineers, engineer; Jiri Strasky, P.E., architect; Mowat Construction Company, contractor; Eugene Sand and Gravel, Inc., concrete supplier; Knife River Corporation, precast concrete.
Jury Comments: This bridge uses precast structural elements which accelerate the speed of construction and also improve safety at the construction site. There are some very innovative construction details that make it very economical. The deck is incredibly thin for the span and the tower is very sophisticated in the way it is shaped; it’s a very attractive tower. Photo Courtesy of OBEC Consulting Engineers The New I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis has a reported 100-year life span, supports ten lanes of traffic, and has the ability to accommodate future light rail transit. The project also demonstrated unique ways of involving the public—both during the design and construction phases of the project. As part of the design process, invited public participants chose between pier types, color of the bridge, lighting options, rail designs and wall styles. During construction, both Minnesota DOT and the contractor informed the public using weekly e-mails including photos and Saturday morning informational status talks on-site that were open to all. High-performance concrete contributed to the cost-effectiveness and accelerated construction of the bridge and its great looks. Segments for the bridge’s superstructure were cast using eight casting beds along the project site. These casting beds were all producing concrete segments simultaneously, even during the winter months. Concrete construction also meant lower maintenance and repair costs for decades to come. The new I-35W Bridge (also called St. Anthony Falls Bridge) opened to traffic on September 18, 2008, more than three months ahead of schedule.
Project Principals: Minnesota Department of Transportation, owner; FIGG Bridge Engineers, engineer; Flatiron/Manson, JV, design/build contractor; Cemstone Concrete, concrete supplier.
Jury Comments: The girders have a very graceful shape, which stands out when you see the bridge from the adjoining streets and make it a really memorable structure. The precast concrete segmental construction and the cast-in-place concrete end spans enabled the project to be completed from design to construction in eleven months. Photo Courtesy of FIGG 106th Street Bridge106th Street and 126th Street Bridges are part of the Keystone Parkway Project in Carmel, Ind., which contains unique double-teardrop roundabout interchanges to carry the roundabout traffic over Keystone Parkway. The 106th Street Bridge has two equal spans of 50-feet, 9-inches, and a skew of 15 degrees. The 126th Street bridge has two equal spans of 50-feet, 6-inches and no skew. Both of these bridges are two-span, continuous, composite bridges with precast AASHTO Type II prestressed concrete beams and cast-in-place reinforced concrete decks. Each bridge has 15 girder lines per span, with the 11 interior beams parallel to each other. The outside two rows of girders on each side splay to follow the geometry of the roundabouts. Aesthetic treatments to bridge railings and matching treatments to the center piers add style and substance. Bridge sidewalks and raised median curbs are cast-in-place colored concrete with pattern stamping.
Project Principals: City of Carmel, Indiana, owner; American Structurepoint, Inc., engineer and architect; Milestone Contractors, LP, contractor; Irving Materials, Inc. (IMI), concrete supplier; Prestress Services Industries, LLC, precast concrete.
Jury Comments: These are very economical short-span bridges. The aesthetics of the bridges are enhanced by the geometric features and colors of the roadways. A lot of projects have the name Parkway, but not all of them deserve it. These definitely deserve it. They are very attractive structures within a very attractive suburban community and the bridges … tie that community back together again both for cars, pedestrians and bicycles. Photo Courtesy of Above All Photography, LTD, Indianapolis The Wilson Street Bridge crossing the Fox River in Batavia, Ill., consists of a three-span concrete variable depth post-tensioned slab with post-tensioned arched piers, river observation outlooks, and stairs leading down from the bridge to pedestrian walkways at the river level. This bridge replaced a three-span filled spandrel concrete arch bridge built in 1911. By using high performance concrete and post-tensioning in the superstructure, the designers were able to minimize the depth of the structure as well as enhance its long-term durability and stiffness. Post-tensioning of the piers was used in order to provide the arch shape, while minimizing deflection. Designers chose micropile foundations at each abutment to minimize labor, excavation depth, and risk to existing buildings nearby. Communications with the citizens and businesses in and around Batavia was of paramount importance to the project principals. Meetings, tours, a newsletter, a bridge telephone hotline, a bridge Web site with webcam, and Bridge Construction Coffees were all established so that citizens and businesses could learn about the progress of the bridge construction.
Project Principals: City of Batavia, Illinois, owner; H.W. Lochner, Inc., engineer; Johnson-Lasky Architects and Lane Allen Architects, Inc., architects; Illinois Constructors Corporation, Inc., contractor; Prairie Material (Batavia Concrete), concrete supplier; Cary Concrete, precast concrete.
Jury Comments: The designer did an extremely good job with matching the town’s desire to replace the existing structure with one that blended in with the existing cityscape.. The substructure piers are well proportioned in comparison to that of the superstructure. The bridge takes advantage of the thin superstructure allowed by the cast-in-place post-tensioned concrete to create a very attractive space below the bridge and a very attractive bridge within its community. Photo Courtesy of Staff Davis, Photographer Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Bridge in Matagorda, Texas, replaces a floating swing bridge as the only bridge leading to Texas’ Matagorda Peninsula. The swing bridge was becoming uneconomical to operate and maintain and the new bridge provides 73 feet of vertical clearance and a wide 320-foot main span and shipping channel. The bridge integrates durability and aesthetics. It is constructed with cast-in-place high performance concrete segments. Heavy chamfering was used to help the superstructure visually flow into the substructure. The main piers have a unique double-anchor shape that slims the column yet still meet the demands of unshored, balanced cantilevered construction. The ends of anchors have “tips” which curl around to protect and hide light fixtures that illuminate the bridge. Painted column webs are illuminated by 44 inexpensive induction-fluorescent lights with a 20-year life-span, welcoming all to the Matagorda Peninsula.Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
Project Principals: Texas Department of Transportation, owner; Dean Van Landuyt, P.E., Bridge Division, Texas Department of Transportation, engineer; Midwest Foundation Corporation, contractor; Alamo Concrete Products, Ltd., concrete supplier; Texas Concrete Company, precast concrete.
Jury Comments: The project visually integrates the substructure and the superstructure in segmental bridge construction. This project achieved very sophisticated aesthetics with very simple features. The lighting achieves a huge effect with very little cost, either first cost or maintenance cost. Photo Courtesy of Dean Van Landuyt, P.E., Texas Department of Transportation – Bridge Division The Hawk Lake Bridge in Ontario, Canada has earnedthe right to be called innovative. It was built with ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) in joints between the girders, in the approach slabs, and in the precast guardrail curbs. Designers chose glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforcing bars for all of its precast members. Precast box girders, precast approach slabs, and precast guardrail curbs were all used to speed construction. Additionally it was the first bridge to incorporate UHPC batched in a ready-mix concrete truck and cured in the field at low temperatures. Lafarge's UHPC "Ductal®" was used for the project. The concrete provided a combination of superior properties including ductility, durability, and strength. This single-span bridge is 27.2 meters long and 13.8 meters wide. It includes 12 adjacent precast box girders with "Ductal" joints connecting the girders. The bridge carries Trans-Canada Highway 17 traffic over the Canadian Pacific railway. It replaced a restricted-height underpass built in 1935, and now allows vehicles of any height to cross over top of the railway.
Project Principals: Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, Canada, owner; TPT Engineering, engineer; Carillion Canada, contractor; Lafarge North America, precast concrete and concrete supplier. Jury Comments: This is a short span bridge; in spite of it being short, it integrated a lot of innovation in design, in functionality, and in sustainability for the long term. It uses high performance concrete and glass fiber for reinforcement. This bridge exemplifies what we should be doing for durability. The use of integral abutments helps with the reduced maintenance cost of this structure for the long term. Photo Courtesy of Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, Canada
More information on PCA programs is available at www.cement.org.
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