The Amelia Earhart network tied arch bridge replacement project, MO, USA

Abstract

A replacement for Amelia Earhart Bridge, carrying Highway 59 across the Missouri River (MO, USA), has been constructed. Interactions between the flow around this bridge and two existing bridges adjacent to the new bridge had the potential to create large scour holes. As the original bridge needed to remain open during the construction of its replacement, a scour study was performed to determine the placement of the piers. The new bridge uses prestressed concrete bulb T-girder spans for the approaches and one 160.6 m (527 ft) steel network tied arch for the main navigation span. The bridge was designed in 2008 and was one of the first modern tied arch bridges in the USA to use internal redundancy for fracture-critical members using bolted angles at the intersection of the tie girder webs and flanges. Due to vertical clearance constraints, the tied arch contains a framed-in-floor system to minimise the depth of the structure. This also required a specific slab pouring sequence to relieve the elongation effects of the tie girder during construction. This signature structure opened to traffic in 2012 and project completion occurred in summer of 2013. This paper focuses on the pier placement relating to scour concerns and the design of the tied arch span.