The two bridges link Valley View with Independence, and cross the Cuyahoga River, Ohio and Erie Canal and CSX rail lines.
Walsh Construction Company crews began the initial work on the Ohio Department of Transportation's (ODOT) $227 million I-480 Valley View bridges deck replacement project last November, with major work set to resume.
The two bridges link Valley View with Independence, and cross the Cuyahoga River, Ohio and Erie Canal and CSX rail lines. The bridges (in Cuyahoga County) also cross Canal Road, West Canal Road, and the Ohio/Erie Towpath Trail.
Built in 1975 and opened to traffic in 1977, the steel multi-stringer highway girder bridges are 212 ft. above the river, with the longest span being 300 ft. long. More than 180,000 cars and trucks use the infrastructure daily.
The bridge decks are more than 40 years old and have reached the end of their useful lives, according to an ODOT press release. To maintain the current four-lanes in each direction, a new bridge will be built between the two existing bridges. This major work is expected to begin in spring 2018, however motorists traveling across the bridges won't likely see much of the work as it will take place below the existing bridges.
The re-decking will be completed in fall 2024. The bridges are crucial to the greater Cleveland area's traffic flow, and a key element of the upgrade is dealing with safety issues for motorists.
The planning for the project began in 2011.
In terms of safety concerns being addressed, an increased parapet and fence height will meet new specifications and in the final lane configuration, the inside merge from I-77 to I-480EB will be eliminated.
In 1999, ODOT had the bridges painted in a red-primer color, replacing the original gray, and in 2011, initiated a $4.4 million project that retrofitted the bridge's parapets, which included the installation of new fences and moving the overhead lighting to an area outside of the structures.
Richland Engineering Ltd. provided the preliminary engineering report used to determine ODOT's final design concept, prepared the design-build scope and are acting as the design review team on behalf of ODOT. CH2M will be the designer of record for the Walsh team.
All three bridges are designed to handle truck traffic. The lifespan of the bridge decks are 40 to 50 years, and the new bridge should be in the 75 to 100 year range.
The proposed schedule is meticulous. The spring of 2019 will see the start of the steel erection for the new bridge, with all four lanes on both the east and westbound bridges to be shifted to the right to accommodate construction equipment. The traffic will remain in this configuration through the fall of 2020. The spring of 2021 will see all traffic on the eastbound Valley View bridge shifted onto the new bridge as crews start the work to replace that bridge deck, with eastbound motorists still able to exit at Transportation Blvd. in this configuration.
In spring 2022, all traffic on the westbound Valley View bridge will be shifted onto the new bridge as crews will replace that WB deck, with WB motorists able to access I-77 north or southbound in this configuration.
Walsh Construction was awarded the design-build contract last October. Minor operations went into full swing on Dec. 4 based on overnight work that lasted more than eight weeks, which included increasing the height of the existing fence on both bridges by 3 ft. to improve safety.
The goals of the 2018 construction season, which began in January, are: to complete design of the project, to begin construction of the bridge and foundations and substructure, begin fabrication of structural steel and implement the first major mainline traffic shift.
The work is expected to take place five or six days a week in 10 to 12 hour shifts.
A suspended work platform will be placed under the bridges to catch all falling debris, and concrete barriers will be used to separate traffic from equipment and workers.
The Walsh DBT has created a risk registry to identify potential challenges, which will be maintained throughout the project.
“The baseline schedule to complete the project allows for rescheduling of activities due to unexpected delays without delaying the project completion,” said Gegick.
Walsh's Project Manager, Joel Halterman, is assisted by Shawn Thompson, CH2M, design project manager, and Tom Bolte, B&N independent design quality manager.
For the 2018 work, the specific challenges are design progress that will ensure steel fabrication initiation, successful completion of the test pile program, and implementation of the first major MOT phase.
The work zone is not considered tight for traffic as 11-ft. lanes will be maintained throughout the project.
“However,” said Gegick, “for the contractor, building a structure between the existing structures created a tight construction environment. All superstructure materials will be delivered in the existing mainline median area. The area is wide enough to accommodate even the largest girders.
When completed, it is expected that 27,500 cu. yds. of concrete will be removed, and in terms of new materials, 66,000 cu. yds. of concrete, 38,000 tons of asphalt, 5,285 tons of reinforcing steel and 11,938 tons of structural steel.
This is a major bridge project for ODOT and it will be taking full opportunity of the project to give newer employees a chance to experience all the challenges associated with the poring of new decks, dealing with safety and engineering issues, and coordinating the efforts of general contractors and subcontractors.
Some of the equipment Walsh is using includes a Kobelco 2750 crane, Link Belt 248 cranes, a Grove 760 telescoping crane, a John Deere 750 dozer, Cat 336 excavators, and three custom overhead gantry cranes.
See what else Walsh Construction is up to here.