Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/894232
November 2017 | EquipmentWorld.com 30 – had policies in place that prohibit storing materials under a bridge. Accelerated Bridge Construction The I-85 bridge collapse also offered a showcase of Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) techniques, since the critical bridge was replaced and opened under emergency measures in 47 days. This prompted us to ask how many other states were using ABC pro- cesses and what techniques they were using. Twenty-two of the responding states said they were using ABC techniques. Their processes vary, including heavy-lift and float-in, precast column cap and gird- ers, longitudinal launching of bridge girders, ultra-high performance concrete connections and post-tensioned precast decked spread box beams. And although the I-85 bridge replacement made headlines, Georgia DOT State Bridge Engineer Bill DuVall points to another ABC project: replacing the State Road 299 bridge over I-24 in Dade County. "The contractor, Wright Brothers, built the super- structure adjacent to the existing bridge," he says. "During the weekend closure, they removed the existing bridge and placed the new bridge using self-propelled modular transporters. The total road closure lasted 81 hours." The Louisiana Department of Transportation and De- velopment also used self-propelled modular transport- ers to remove a damaged portion of a curved steel- plate, two-girder system on a U.S. 61 ramp over I-10, reports Bill Vaught, assistant bridge design engineer administrator. POOR CONDITION BRIDGES: TOP AND BOTTOM STATES As mentioned, Equipment World opted to use the incoming Good/Fair/Poor condition rating in ranking states this year. The five states with the lowest percentage of all bridges rated "Poor." 1.TEXAS, 1.2 PERCENT In Texas, 1.2 percent of its 53,488 bridges are rated "Poor," according to the 2016 FHWA National Bridge Inventory. The state has a total of 463,549,151 square feet of interstate/state bridge deck area, of which 0.97 percent is rated SD. In addition, there's another 81,923,863 square feet of local bridge deck area, of which 1.2 percent is rated SD. 2.NEVADA, 1.4 PERCENT According to Troy Martin and Lisa Green with the Nevada DOT, 28 of the state's 1,937 total bridges are rated SD. The state has 13,723,241 square feet of inter- state/state bridge deck area, 0.63 of which is rated SD. There's another 5,278,297 square feet of local system bridges, 1.2 percent of which are SD. The department anticipates completing 20 new bridges in the next fiscal year, starting another 10 bridges, and planning 10 more. When asked what one thing would help improve bridges in the state, they said, "Allocate more bridge inventory | continued How many bridges have been closed in your state in the past year due to deficiency, structural failure or collapse? How many of these bridges have been or were slated for repair in your state in the past year? 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10+ 7 to 9 4 to 6 1 to 3 0 10+ 7 to 9 4 to 6 1 to 3 0 10 3 5 7 6 8 1 5 8 7 31 total responses 29 total responses