design-build<\/a> project used a technique called accelerated bridge construction,\u00a0a first for Flatiron, during which crews construct a new bridge next to an existing bridge\u00a0that needs to be replaced. Once the new structure is complete, crews demolish\u00a0the existing bridge and move the new one into place in just a few hours.\u00a0Accelerated bridge construction dramatically minimizes\u00a0inconvenience to the public. In traditional construction, a bridge is\u00a0partially or completely closed for weeks or months to allow for new\u00a0construction, which often means traffic headaches for the public.\u00a0With ABC the highway remains open, closing for only a few hours,\u00a0usually overnight, while the new bridge is moved into place.<\/p>\n\u201cIn one fell swoop we come in and demo out the old bridge and\u00a0replace it,\u201d explained Norm Avery, Utah\u2019s business development\u00a0manager. \u201cThis impacts the traveling public much less.\u201d<\/p>\n
Interstate 80 had two existing bridges, which meant crews\u00a0built and moved two new bridges in separate operations. The\u00a0first bridge was moved into place January 27. On March 2, at\u00a0approximately 8:00 p.m., the team began the second and final\u00a0bridge move by closing the eastbound section of highway and\u00a0beginning demolition of the existing bridge. In just a few short\u00a0hours, all that remained of the old bridge were the supports\u2014sheared off to make room for the new structure.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce the demo is done, we hurry up and put the road back\u00a0together, and get the freeway open as soon as possible,\u201d said\u00a0Utah district manager Paul Martinez, who was on-site for the\u00a0critical operation.<\/p>\n
And that they did. Once demolition was complete, the new bridge,\u00a0weighing 2.4 million pounds, was ready to roll\u2014literally. The bridge\u00a0was mounted on 16 special rollers, each with a 150-ton capacity.\u00a0Using an elaborate cable winch system, crews moved the bridge,\u00a0inch by inch, into place.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest challenge was to move the bridge quickly and safely,\u201d\u00a0said project manager Kevin Kidwell.<\/p>\n
Each roller was manned by a crew member, who monitored\u00a0progress to ensure the bridge stayed on track. Paul coordinated\u00a0the move himself\u2014making sure each end of the bridge was\u00a0moving in sync with the other. In only 40 minutes, the bridge move\u00a0was complete.<\/p>\n
Eighteen hours after eastbound bridge was closed, it reopened\u00a0to traffic. For Kevin, the opportunity to work on Flatiron\u2019s first ABC\u00a0was exciting.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was neat to be one of the first people to get to do this,\u201d he\u00a0said. \u201cTo be involved with the planning, bridge design and to get to\u00a0design the move system was fun and challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new bridges are wider and longer than the older structures to\u00a0accommodate 12-foot emergency lanes. Flatiron also made minor\u00a0roadway improvements and widened the road to match the new\u00a0width of the bridge.\u00a0Since the bridge move, crews have been working to finish the\u00a0project, removing temporary falsework, installing permanent\u00a0barrier rail, backfilling and dressing slopes, installing signage and\u00a0reshaping the river channel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On a cold night in early March, with temperatures well below freezing\u00a0and snow falling, Flatiron Construction crews began the second of two operations to replace twin\u00a0bridges over…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[45,85,143,179,181,183,226,240,412,437,451],"class_list":["post-335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-project-news","tag-accelerated-bridge-construction","tag-bridges","tag-design-build","tag-flatiron","tag-flatiron-construction","tag-flatiron-corporation","tag-i-80-bridges-over-weber-river","tag-interstate-80","tag-summit-county","tag-utah","tag-weber-river"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flatironcorp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flatironcorp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flatironcorp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flatironcorp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flatironcorp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=335"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.flatironcorp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flatironcorp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flatironcorp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flatironcorp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flatironcorp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}