Design of Route 895 Bridge over James River in Virginia

Abstract

The Route 895 bridge over the James River in Virginia will be a 1453-m (4,766-ft) long design-build river crossing directly downstream from the Port of Richmond. The highway will have two three-lane roadways in either direction at the James River crossing. East and west approach spans consist of two precast segmental concrete box girders connected by a longitudinal cast-in-place construction joint supported by single circular column piers with hammerhead pier caps. The east approach span segments are erected in cantilever from the piers using ground-based cranes, whereas the west approach is erected using overhead methods because of access limitations beneath the bridge. The main span super-structure will be a two-celled cast-in-place segmental box girder supported by twin-walled piers at the river crossing and single-walled piers at all other locations. The eastbound river crossing span arrangement is 115, 205, and 124 m (377, 672, and 406 ft), and the westbound river crossing spans are 75, 129, 205, and 118 m (246, 423, 672, and 388 ft). Because this was a design-build project, coordination within the design team was a key factor in the project’s success.