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| September 12, 2006 | For more information, contact |
2006 Concrete Bridge Award Winners Announced |
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This year's winning projects: The 2006 program attracted 79 entries from Canada and the United States, covering a variety of structure types and construction methods. All structures were completed between June 2004 and March 2006. The winners will be recognized at the American Concrete Institute's Fall Convention in Denver. Winning projects were selected based on creativity, functionality, and economy by a jury of three prominent bridge professionals: Daniel Dorgan, State Bridge Engineer, Minnesota Department of Transportation; Mary Lou Ralls, Ralls Newman, LLC, Austin, Texas; and Louis Triandafilou, High Performance Structural Materials Specialist, FHWA Resource Center, Baltimore, Md. The next installment of the bridge awards is scheduled for 2008. |
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To minimize fill requirements and to maintain the necessary under clearance, four 54-inch U-beams were selected in lieu of five 63-inch I-beams for the typical span of 105 feet 8 inches. Judicious use of high strength, high performance concrete, prestressing strands in the top flanges of the beams, spread footings, and semi-integral abutments resulted in economical, durable, and pleasing structures. Project Principals: New Mexico Department of Transportation, owner; New Mexico Department of Transportation Bridge Section, engineer; Reiman Corporation and James Hamilton, contractors; RER Ready Mix and Costillo Ready Mix Concrete, concrete suppliers; Coreslab Structures, precaster. Jury Comments: An interesting use of Southwest-type motif,
innovative form liners, smooth girder lines, and clever use of MSE walls,
wing walls and stub walls, and prudent design has resulted in aesthetically
pleasing, structurally efficient, economical, and durable bridges. |
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| Elk Avenue/Doe River Bridge Rehabilitation - In 1926, the town of Elizabethton, Tenn., proudly cut the ribbons to open a newly constructed bridge over the Doe River. By the late 1990s, the bridge began to suffer the effects of age and was selected for replacement. However, during discussions, there was a strong desire to have the bridge rehabilitated and the designers and the DOT agreed. 
The scope of work included partial and full deck repairs, removal of portions of the arch ribs under shored conditions, replacement of rib reinforcement in areas near the crown of each span, epoxy injection of various shear cracks and delamination cracks, replacement of spindle rail components and concrete lamp posts, and the addition of a reinforced concrete deck overlay. Project Principals: City of Elizabethton, owner; Division of Structures, Tennessee Department of Transportation, engineer; General Constructors, contractor; Summers-Taylor Construction Company, concrete supplier. Jury Comments: This is just a fantastic rehabilitation job.
Careful planning, design, construction, and attention to details helped
return the 1926 jewel back to the community. |
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Moose Creek Bridge - This first fully prefabricated integral abutment bridge in North America utilized six 47-inches deep pretopped precast, prestressed I-beams on 8-feet centers spanning 72 feet. The beams were pretopped with an 8-feet wide and 9.5 inches-thick deck. The adjacent decked beams were joined together with a 16-inches wide cast-in-place concrete closure joint with interlocking looped reinforcing bars. The deck was gradually thickened from 9.5 inches at midspan to 11.5 inches at the prefabricated abutments to account for beam camber. One of the key considerations in the design was to limit the sizes and weights of the various prefabricated units for ease of shipping and handling. 
Project Principals: Ministry of Transportation, Ontario, owner; Stantec Consulting Ltd., engineer; Miller Paving (Northern) Ltd., contractor; Custom Concrete, Timmins, concrete supplier, Pre-Con Inc., precaster. Jury Comments: What a showcase for an all-prefab bridge. With
simple details, careful planning, and basic engineering, the designers
addressed the camber and differential camber issues and developed a
robust joint for the precast deck ready to tackle the harsh winters
of Ontario. |
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Project Principals: Ohio Department of Transportation, owner; HNTB Corporation, engineer; Fru-Con Construction, contractor and precaster; Dielman Concrete Co., concrete supplier. Jury Comments: This is an excellent example of the creative
use of precast construction. The designers used the latest technology
to create a stunning replica of a bygone era bridge with modern, durable
materials in record time.
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The owner’s requirement for minimum maintenance was addressed by using high performance concrete and eliminating deck joints thru the use of integral abutments. The integral abutments were also effectively used to address the uplift caused by a large center-span-to-end-span ratio. Project Principals: Milwaukee County Wisconsin, owner; Bloom Consultants, LLC, engineer and architect; Lunda Construction, contractor; Zignego Ready Mix, concrete supplier. Jury Comments: A very efficient and attractive structure complementing
other architectural landmarks in the vicinity. The triangular openings
in the superstructure’s shallow arch bottom give it a light airy
appearance.
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University Avenue Arched Pier Bridge over I-74 - Using a precast concrete tied arch pier to span the Dry Run Creek flume and support the bridge in a two-span configuration proved an exceptional alternative in a situation where a conventional structure was not possible. The aesthetic elements of the bridge were of paramount significance in the design. The decorative concrete bridge bollards were precast and shipped to the site for installation as needed. A limestone form liner was used on the walls of the vaulted abutments to create a “hand laid stone” appearance. The parapets were built with a smooth form liner using self-consolidating concrete. Project Principals: Illinois Department of Transportation, owner; Alfred Benesch & Company, engineer; Walsh Construction Company, contractor; Construction Materials, concrete supplier; Prestressed Engineering Corporation, precaster.
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Four Bears Bridge - The 4,500-feet long bridge is North Dakota’s first concrete segmental bridge and the only crossing of the 150-mile long man-made Lake Sakakawea. The precast segmental bridge with typical spans of 316 feet was erected using the balanced cantilever method. The design had to accommodate severe ice loading and frequent high wind conditions, yet allow for economical construction in the deep lake. A “lost form” precast concrete cofferdam with sloping faces was developed to reduce the impact of ice forces while simplifying pile driving operation. The cofferdam also served as a “lost form” for 
the cast-in-place concrete pile cap foundation for the pier.
Several design features addressed the need for durability and minimum maintenance for this important bridge, including: high performance concrete, longitudinal and transverse post-tensioning of the deck, elimination of deck blockouts for tendon anchorages, continuous jointless deck, and ¾ inches integral concrete wearing surface. The context sensitive design recognized the local Native American culture and history with tribal symbols on the box girder web walls and pedestrian walkway. Project Principals: North Dakota Department of Transportation, owner; FIGG and Kardmas, Lee & Jackson, engineers; Fru-Con (now, Bilfinger Berger Civil Inc.), contractor; Watford City Ready Mix, concrete supplier. Jury Comments: A sleek and elegant bridge. A well-balanced design
addressing durability, long-term maintenance, ease and speed of construction,
local traditions, and economics. The use of precast cofferdams is a unique
solution to handle the ice loads. The $3 million savings compared to conventional
construction is impressive. |
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The three-span four-lane cast-in-place concrete post-tensioned box girder bridge is 874 feet long with a main span of 327 feet Structural challenges included a staged construction since the new bridge alignment was the same as the old one, mass concrete application, and high seismicity with soil liquefaction. The builders also need to be sensitive to enviromental issues that included the protection of marine life, Native American concerns, dominant fishing industry issues, and impact on area tourism. But the public’s main concern was the aesthetics - the view of the harbor through the bridge and of the view of the jetty below the bridge had to be preserved. Project Principals: California Department of Transportation, owner, engineer, and architect; MCM Construction Inc., contractor; Granite Construction Company and Baxman Gravel Company Inc., concrete supplier. Jury Comments: The designers did a great job of meeting the
community’s needs while addressing a myriad of challenging site
constraints. The public wanted a gem, and they got one.
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County Road 453 over Battleground Creek Bridge - Speed of construction was the main driver for the design of this modest 60-feet single-span bridge. Additionally, channel hydraulics limited the structure depth to only 2 feet. Engineers at TXDOT focused on three strategies: minimize cast-in-place concrete, minimize the number of beams, and use simple beam connections. Building on the existing standard precast, prestressed slab beams, a
new beam shape was developed – 7 feet 6-inches-wide x 23 inches
deep T-beam with 1 feet overhang of the 8-inches thick flange. The side-by-side
T-beams were connected to each other along the longitudinal V-shaped joint
by welding a 1-inches diameter connector rod to steel plates embedded
in flanges of the Project Principals: Williamson County, Texas, owner; Texas Department of Transportation, engineers; Capital Excavation Company, contractor; Texas Concrete and Materials Company, concrete supplier; Heldenfels Enterprises Inc., precaster. Jury Comments: A unique, creative, innovative accelerated bridge
construction system. Very economical as well as aesthetically pleasing.
The simplicity of form and ease of handling make this system perfectly
suited for short county bridges and remote locations. |
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Project Principals: Wapello County, Iowa, owner; Federal Highway Administration and Iowa State University/Bridge Engineering Center, collaborators; Iowa Department of Transportation and Wapello County, Iowa, engineers; Bloomfield Bridge and Culvert Inc., contractor; Lafarge Canada Inc., concrete supplier and precaster.. Jury Comments: As the first ultra-high performance concrete
(UHPC) girder bridge in North America, the Wapello County Mars Hill Bridge
project demonstrates leadership in advancing the state-of-the-art in bridge
materials! The partnership between the DOT, FHWA, industry, and academia
to implement advanced research into practice is commendable.
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About PCA
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girders,
biaxial post-tensioning, and drilling new 60-inches diameter shafts through
existing piers. The existing roadway was closed to traffic on Feb. 1,
2005, and the new bridge was open to traffic on Oct. 29, 2005. 
inches
at the middle of the center span producing a span-to-depth ratio of 71.
To reduce the bulk, triangular spandrel openings were provided on either
side of the center pier. 
Jury
Comments: Engineering at its best. The use of a tied arch to simultaneously
span a creek and act as a center pier for a two-span bridge is quite innovative.
Precasting reduced the tied arch pier onsite construction time
from two months to just 2 ½ days. The total value engineered approach
taking into account aesthetics, speed of construction, contractor alternate,
and the needs of the DOT is exemplary.
beams. A conventional bridge at this site would have taken six months
to build; the new T-beam bridge took only six weeks.