Method for the Rapid Replacement of the Travis Spur Rail Bridge over I-278 Highway

Mina Aziz Mikaeel,Rasool Attar,Dan Keppeler,Ioannis Sokratis Drakatos,Charalampos Karvelas

doi:10.11648/j.jccee.20200501.11

Abstract

Rise in traffic volumes of urban highways over the last decades has led to an increasing need for widening both highways and access roads. The present case study deals with the replacement of the Travis Spur Rail Bridge to allow for larger width of roadways that lead to and away from the New Goethals Bridge, which connects Elizabeth, New Jersey, to Staten Island, New York, in the United States. The main objective of the project was to apply a rapid method for the replacement of the existing bridge, which was performed during the Columbus Day weekend (7-9 October 2017). Considerations of all existing constraints, which include high traffic volumes and limited space for material laydown and equipment positioning, are presented first. To respond to these challenges careful planning of the construction steps of the substructure (cap beams supported on circular piers) and the superstructure of the bridge (two-span steel deck) had to be carried out both temporally and spatially before the replacement weekend, which is described in the second part of the paper. The final part presents the different phases of the demolition / replacement process to minimize traffic disruption.

Highlights

Widening of modern highways within metropolitan areas involves a significant set of challenges both spatially and temporally that should be addressed appropriately by the engineering teams
The Travis Spur Rail (TSR) Bridge receives railway traffic and is situated over the I-278 Highway that leads to the Goethals Bridge, which in turn connects Elizabeth, New Jersey, to Staten Island, New York
Rise in traffic volumes during the last several decades has led to significant increase in the frequency of bridge replacement projects

Summary

Introduction

Widening of modern highways within metropolitan areas involves a significant set of challenges both spatially and temporally that should be addressed appropriately by the engineering teams. New techniques for accelerated bridge construction have permitted minimization of construction duration [3,4,5] This is due to the fact that bridges and the associated highway and/or railway network are considered essential lifelines for urban areas during natural or man-made catastrophes and access limitation to them should be kept at minimal levels [6,7,8]. As the New Goethals Bridge needed to accommodate more traffic lanes than the old one, its deck as well as the access roads had to get wider To arrange such road widening, the old five-span TSR Bridge had to be replaced by a new two-span bridge. The site included several limitations with regard to space arrangement and planning schedule In response to these technical challenges, the engineering teams worked with commitment

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion