2014 CONCRETE BRIDGE AWARDS COMPETITION

Fourteenth Biennial Winners

Nine winners have been named in Portland Cement Association’s (PCA) Fourteenth Biennial Bridge Awards Competition. The competition, instituted in 1988, recognizes excellence in design and construction of concrete bridges. Roads and Bridges magazine was a co-sponsor.

Nine Concrete Bridges Selected for Awards of Excellence

Winning Projects

Spanish Creek BridgePlumas County, California

State Route 9 (Wolfcreek Bridge)Cocke County, Tennessee

West 7th Street BridgeFort Worth, Texas

Rich Street Bridge Columbus, Ohio

Paper Mill Road over Sope CreekMarietta, Georgia

Pecos Street over I-70 Bridge ReplacementDenver, Colorado

San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge New East Span: SkywayOakland, California

Naples Bay BridgeNaples, Maine

Interstate 5 Willamette River Bridge Project (Whilamut Passage Bridge) Eugene, Oregon

The 2014 program attracted

entries from Canada and the

United States, covering a variety of

structure types and construction

methods. All structures were

essentially completed between

October 2011 and September 2013.

Winning projects were selected

based on creativity, functionality,

aesthetics, sustainability,

and economy in design and

construction by a jury of three

prominent bridge professionals:

Gregg Fredrick Assistant Chief Engineer for the Wyoming Department of Transportation

Joseph HartmannDirector, Office of Bridges and Structure for the Federal Highway Administration

Bradley TouchstoneAIA of Touchstone Architecture

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Spanish Creek BridgePlumas County, California

Project Principals

Bridge Owner: California Department of Transportation, District 02

Engineer of Record: Eric R. Watson, California Department of Transportation, Division of Engineering Services

Architect: California Department of Transportation, Division of Engineering Services

Contractor: C. C. Myers, Inc.

Concrete Supplier: White Cap Ready Mix, Portola, California

Jury CommentsThis bridge provided a graceful solution to an engineering difficulty, and is aesthetically pleasing and well proportioned.

State Route 9 (Wolfcreek Bridge)Cocke County, Tennessee

Project Principals

Bridge Owner: Tennessee Department of Transportation

Engineer of Record: Tennessee Department of Transportation

Contractor: Bell and Associates Construction L.P.

Concrete Supplier: 1) Newport Paving and Ready Mix 2) Ready Mix USA

Precaster: Bell and Associates Construction L.P.

Jury CommentsThis bridge will stand the test of time. As a rehabilitation project, it kept an elegant structure in place and increased its sustainability aspect.

Originally built in 1926, this bridge is 629.5 feet long and consists of five arches (three open spandrel and two filled). Slated to be replaced to correct a low structural rating, two factors played a vital role in determining to rehabilitate this structure instead. One, eligibility for the National Historic Register, and two, the bridge is located in the scenic Cherokee National Forest.

All components above the arches were removed and hydrodemolition was performed on three sides of the arches. The arches

received additional reinforcing steel and a self-consolidating concrete encasement on those three sides. Strengthening of the arches also provided additional capacity to carry a wider roadway.

The contractor utilized precast elements for the spandrel columns, spandrel caps, fascia beams, and slab panels. This allowed the contractor to fabricate the pieces during demolition and minimize the closure period.

The Spanish Creek Bridge Project on historic State Highway Route 70 in Plumas County replaced the original 1932 steel truss bridge, which was built during the Great Depression. The new bridge is distinguished for its engineering challenges and graceful design. The replacement is one of only five concrete arch bridges built by Caltrans in the last 50 years.

The unique 627-foot bridge is a conventionally reinforced concrete box girder supported by

open-spandrel double arches. It has a 354-foot main span, one of the longest in California. The 165-foot tall concrete structure was the least expensive of all the bridge alternatives and used unique and innovative micro pile foundations. Caltrans engineers also designed a 55-foot soil nail wall to help buttress the canyon wall under the bridge. A bridge-viewing area was constructed and features interpretive displays.

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TxDOT claims this bridge to be the world’s first precast network arch bridge. Connecting downtown Fort Worth to its vibrant cultural district, the bridge serves as an aesthetic and functional focal point for the community.

Complete replacement of the aging 981-foot long and 88-foot wide bridge disrupted traffic for only four months. A series of six 163-foot post-tensioned spans were constructed in Fort Worth. To reduce cost and minimize

on-site construction, the arches, floor beams, stay-in-place deck panels were all precast.

The arch concrete is some of the most sophisti-cated ever produced for a TxDOT project as there were a multitude of difficult requirements: high-strength, high-slump, low-shrinkage, and low-heat due to the massive arch knuckle. The floor beams utilized a self-consolidating mix that averaged 5,600 psi at 12 hours allowing for a beam-a-day production schedule.

The 562-foot modern rib arch span was built on a new alignment to replace the existing historic and structurally deficient Town Street Bridge. The Rich Street Bridge features: A modern, economi-cal precast open rib arch design; five spans and three lanes; a slender, open design that provides more transparent views and reduces flooding im-pacts; architectural lighting above and below the bridge deck; pedestrian friendly amenities such as wide, patterned sidewalks and plazas; utilities integrated in the bridge railing and sidewalks for use during festivals and community events.

The modern arch structure uses precast

beam, arch rib, and arch apex segments stitched together with a combination of pre-stressing and field post-tensioning to create a fully continuous frame, eliminating intermediate expansion joints and spandrel columns. All post-tensioning strand end anchorages were arranged to be concealed and terminate above flood level for added durability. The use of lightweight precast concrete, field spliced post-tensioning, and a minimal number of efficiently tailored segments helps advance the boundaries of what can be achieved with precast concrete – melding aesthetic, durable and economical bridge design.

Project Principals

Bridge Owner: Ohio Department of Transportation

Engineer of Record: Burgess & Niple, Inc.

Architect: Frederick Gottemoeller, Bridgescape, LLC

Contractor: Kokosing Construction Company, Inc.

Concrete Supplier: Anderson Concrete Corporation

Precaster: Prestress Services Industries, LLC

Jury CommentsWonderful, beautiful precast application. An example of a lovely urban bridge that speaks to modern construction and design techniques. Unbelievably elegant, and fully integrated with its monumental forms, landscaping, and artscaping.

Project Principals

Bridge Owner: City of Fort Worth

Engineer of Record: Dean Van Landuyt, P.E.

Contractor: SUNDT Construction, Inc.

Concrete Supplier: TXI, Inc.

Precaster: Heldenfels Enterprises, Inc. & Austin Prestress

Jury CommentsFrom a construction perspective, this was a challenging, structural engineering feat. The high-arch precast elements are very pleasing to the eye. The project utilized an innovative construction technique for accelerated bridge construction.

Rich Street BridgeColumbus, Ohio

West 7th Street BridgeFort Worth, Texas

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Project Principals

Bridge Owner: Colorado Department of Transportation

Engineer of Record: Wilson & Company, Inc., Engineers & Architects

Contractor: Kiewit Infrastructure

Concrete Supplier: Ready Mixed Concrete

Jury CommentsWhat makes it stand out is that the entire superstructure was rolled into place with minimal disruption to traffic. Clever design using roundabouts. Accelerated bridge construction project with the interesting aspect of cast-in-place concrete.

The bridge structure is a 156-foot single span cast-in-place, post-tensioned concrete box girder. The existing signalized diamond interchange was reconstructed using two-lane modern roundabouts that encroach onto the ends of the bridge to minimize right-of-way impacts. Cast-in-place concrete was the best way to accommodate the complex geometry of the roundabouts and create an aesthetically pleasing structure.

The accelerated bridge construction technique involved constructing the superstructure in a bridge staging area near the project site and then rolling it to its final location using self propelled modular transporters. The bridge design used three-dimensional modeling software to analyze the bridge for permanent and temporary loads during the bridge transport process. The superstructure and substructure were constructed at the same time which reduced the bridge construction duration by eight months.

Project Principals

Bridge Owner: Cobb County Department of Transportation

Engineer of Record: AECOM

Contractor: Sunbelt Structures, Inc.

Concrete Supplier: Vulcan Materials Company

Precaster: Standard Concrete Products

Jury CommentsWorkhorse bridges are important and this is a nicely constructed application. Best of the simple span use category.

The project replaced a dilapidated, narrow, five-span bridge with a modern, single span, two-lane bridge with a pedestrian sidewalk. The project also removed the old bridge piers from the Sope Creek channel. Located in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, the new bridge was constructed to blend in with the natural and historic surroundings using

cast-in-place concrete abutments that feature a hand stained, rock form liner finish and painted pre-cast members that complement the adjacent historic ruins of the Marietta Paper Mill. The northeast end of the bridge is situated between a historic wall ruin and the original bridge abutment which were both carefully preserved during construction.

Paper Mill Road over Sope CreekMarietta, Georgia

Pecos Street over I-70 Bridge ReplacementDenver, Colorado

Project Principals

Bridge Owner: Maine Department of Transportation

Engineer of Record: Jeff Folsom, MaineDOT

Architect: Kent Cooper, MaineDOT

Contractor: Wyman and Simpson Inc.

Concrete Supplier: Dragon Products

Community partner:Town of Naples, Maine

Jury Comments Executed well at every level, without being over the top. Nicely balances aesthetics with cost. Every community that has to build a bridge of this scale should do so with this level of detail. From a sustainability perspec-tive, the community will want to maintain this bridge and treat it well over time.

The Naples Bay Bridge and Causeway project saved taxpayers millions of dollars, improved mobility on one of Maine’s busiest east-west thoroughfares, enhanced pedestrian safety, and increased green space and vistas in a popular lakeside resort village. What started out as a contentious public debate about transitioning from a movable to a fixed bridge design, ended up as a model of public participation and partnership among MaineDOT, the community and the contractor.

The result is a landmark bridge and causeway that now serves as a tourist destination with

enhanced vistas, landscaping, lighting and green space. The $9.2 million project includes a bridge that is a cast-in-place concrete rigid frame spanning 85 feet. The arched profile of the rigid frame pro-vides maximum clearance for boaters with only a modest increase to the roadway profile grade with a structural depth of just 20 inches at mid-span. The 1,200-foot long concrete-faced, sheet pile seawall provided a cost-effective, innovative and environmentally-friendly opportunity for a new alignment. This alignment created significant new, open green space for the public.

Project Principals

Bridge Owner: California Department of Transportation

Engineer of Record: T.Y. Lin International/Moffatt & Nichol, Joint Venture

Contractor: Kiewit/FCI/Manson, A Joint Venture

Concrete Supplier: Pacific Cement, RMC Lonestar

Precaster: Kiewit/FCI/Manson, A Joint Venture

Jury Comments This is a good example of a complex approach that spans over a waterway. The design complements the main span nicely. Incredible design for hinges, and thoughtful seismic design of piers.

San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge New East Span: SkywayOakland, California

Naples Bay BridgeNaples, Maine

In 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay Area, the result of which included structural damage to the original East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. As the longest section of the new East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the Skyway highlights innova-tion in design, use of materials, and constructability.

The new East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (East Span), which opened to traffic on September 2, 2013, is a 2.2-mile long, dual carriageway bridge with a design life of 150 years. It is made up of four distinct structures: a 4,229-foot low rise cast-in-place (CIP) reinforced/post-tensioned concrete box girder near the Oakland shore; a 1.2-mile-long segmental concrete box

girder viaduct (Skyway); a 2,047-foot long self-anchored suspension span; and a 1,542-foot long CIP reinforced/post-tensioned concrete box girder that connects the East Span to Yerba Buena Island.

Constructed using the balanced cantilever method, the Skyway incorporates the latest seismic-safety technologies and consists of parallel eastbound and westbound viaducts. Each Skyway viaduct consists of four structural frames joined together by special hinges that can transfer shear and moment during seismic motion while allowing longitudinal movement. The bridge decks are composed of 452 precast concrete segments, which were fabricated in Stockton, California, and are the largest segments of their kind ever cast.

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Project Principals

Bridge Owner: Oregon Department of Transportation

Engineer of Record: OBEC Consulting Engineers

Contractor: Hamilton Construction Company

Concrete Supplier: Knife River

Precaster: Knife River

Jury Comments Balanced, interesting architecture. Great use of recycled concrete. Its beauty is derived from its essential form, and the arches seem to spring right out of the water.

Interstate 5 Willamette River Bridge Project (Whilamut Passage Bridge)Eugene, Oregon

The bridges carry Interstate-5 southbound (SB) and northbound (NB) over the Willamette River, a local highway, railroad tracks, an off-ramp, and two multi-use paths. To span the complex project area, the bridge lengths vary at 1,759 feet and 1,984.7 feet for SB and NB, respectively. The bridges replace the original structure built in the early 1960s, which was closed in 2004 due to structural deficiencies and replaced with a temporary bridge. The unique and striking modern version of a classic bridge type is reinvented for the 21st century by utilizing high performance materials, state-of-the-art construction practices, and advanced analytical techniques. As one of the few contemporary

concrete arch bridges in Oregon, the basic form of Willamette River Bridge (WRB) emphasizes simplicity, material efficiency, openness, aesthetics, and durability.

Concrete attributes of versatility, durability, longevity, and life-cycle costs were influential in the selection of concrete as the primary building material for WRB. Recycling of demolished concrete is an important facet of concrete’s overall sustainable use; so for the WRB project the A&E partnered with the concrete supplier and owner to develop a mix design using recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) in such proportions to be suitable for selected components of the new NB bridge.

Photo Credits

Page 3, Spanish Creek: Courtesy of California Department of Transportation

Page 3, Wolfcreek: Courtesy of the Tennessee Department of Transportation

Page 4, West 7th Street: Courtesy of the Texas Department of Transportation

Page 4, Rich Street: Courtesy of Burgess & Niple, Inc.

Page 5, Paper Mill: Courtesy of Sunbelt Structures, Inc.

Page 5, Pecos Street: Courtesy of Wilson & Company, Inc., Engineers & Architects

Page 6, San Francisco-Oakland Bay: Courtesy of T.Y. Lin International

Page 6, Naples Bay: Courtesy of the Maine Department of Transportation

Page 7, Whilamut Passage: Courtesy of OBEC Consulting Engineers

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