Once the ribbon is cut in early 2029, the I-49 Arkansas River Bridge will carry four lanes of interstate traffic and total more than 5,200 ft. The much-anticipated structure is the first of several projects that will compose the Interstate 49 Extension.
"This section will help with the completion of another section of the Interstate 49 corridor that one day will connect Kansas City, Missouri, with New Orleans, Louisiana," ARDOT spokesman Dave Parker told Construction Equipment Guide. "The portion between Kansas City and Shreveport, Louisiana, was designated by Congress as Highway Priority 1 in the 1991 Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act."
The main river portion of the bridge, including the navigation channel, will be a four-span 1,590-ft. continuous steel plate girder unit with 12-ft. tall girders. Prestressed concrete approach spans make up the remainder of this bridge.
A second bridge will carry four lanes of I-49 over Flat Rock Creek, the Crawford County Levee and Gun Club Road. It will measure 1,822-ft. long and be made from prestressed concrete spans.
The I-49 extension from Barling to Alma is divided into construction stages. Phase 2 will build the earthwork for the lanes and six bridges from Clear Creek Road to Interstate 40. Phase 3 will continue construction from Gun Club Road to Clear Creek Road. Phase 4 will place pavement onto the lanes constructed in Phase 2 and construct the six remaining structures from Clear Creek Road to the Interstate 40 Interchange.
Work on the $283 million project began last August. Parker described the groundbreaking as a true celebration.
"It was a great community event, with nearly 120 guests. The panel of speakers included Governor Sarah Sanders, Congressman Steve Womack and Congressman Bruce Westerman."
According to Parker, most of the project is in a new location, so traffic headaches won't be a major issue.
"There will be a new signal intersection at Hwy 22, at the beginning of the project, and a new intersection at Hwy 59. The impact to motorists will be minimal during these construction phases and will maintain traffic flow."
Manhattan Road & Bridge Company LLC serves as general contractor for the project, which will add another crossing of the Arkansas River to this part of the state, and provide north-south access for traffic traveling through the Fort area without having to traverse a heavily traveled I-540. The ongoing construction involves coordination with many stakeholders, including Fort Chaffee, the Corps of Engineers, Coast Guard, Levee Board, property owners and the traveling public.
Regarding grading efforts, the project included a special provision that limited the clearing of trees from November to March, requiring a lot of clearing prior to beginning the earthwork.
"Once the trees are cleared and the area is grubbed from bushes and topsoil, the area is then surveyed for existing ground so that crews can measure the embankment as it's installed," said Parker. "With the area being adjacent to the Arkansas River, which is prone to flooding and therefore sediment accrual, it was expected workers would encounter unfavorable existing material.
"Having recently performed the south phase of I-549, the department was well aware of struggles they faced in getting up out of the existing poor material. The department elected to implement a geotextile fabric installed over the existing soil and then place rock fill in order to get up out of the existing conditions. The combination of these items has worked great, and we have not had any issues with losing embankment fill into the existing soils."
As the embankment is completed, considering the poor existing conditions, the contract requires a settlement period before the final pavement section can be performed. During the settlement period, there are four settlement plates located at each bridge end that are surveyed as the work is performed to log the effects of the embankment loading.
"As the survey data comes in, it is logged and the incremental settlement is evaluated," said Parker. "As a settlement trend begins to level off, the areas will be evaluated and may be released to proceed with construction activities. The anticipated settlement periods could be as long as 8 to 10 months."
Parker noted, "This is not a huge earthwork project; it's heavy on the structures. We have approximately 130,000 cubic yards of excavation and 470,000 cubic yards of embankment. The majority of this work is in relation to the main lanes, as we construct the approach for the bridges."
Key tasks remaining for the Arkansas River Bridge are the construction of Bent 13 and 15 waterline struts, bent 14, which is adjacent to the river navigation channel, and hanging structural steel for the river crossing, which is anticipated to begin this summer.
Following this work will be placement of the concrete deck for the river crossing. The Flat Rock Creek bridge will be constructed during this same time, but the river bridge is what will control the schedule.
Heavy equipment onsite includes more than two dozen cranes that are being used on both sides of the river, as well as in the river on barges. Main materials for the Arkansas River Bridge include 26,062 cu. yds. of concrete and 6,060,429 lbs. of reinforcing steel (not including drilled shafts).
There are more than 24 54-in. shafts totaling 1,431 linear ft.; 36 66-in. shafts totaling 1,962 linear ft.; 15 78-in. shafts totaling 729 linear ft.; and the same number of 108-in. shafts totaling 852 linear ft.
Other materials include 36,085 linear ft. of prestressed BT-72 and 13,203,344 lbs. of structural steel plate girders that are 12.5-in. tall.
As for the impact of weather on construction, said Parker, "Rain has an effect on the work, as it would with any other project. If placing concrete, you would have to cancel or ensure that it is properly protected. But the biggest effect we have seen is the river level.
"Last spring and into the summer, there were multiple days where the work site had limited access or no access at all, due to the river backing up into the tributary creeks and flooding the site. This year there have been issues with completing the Arkansas River Bridge Bent 15 waterline strut."
The shafts were placed with no adverse effect from the river, and the waterline strut was formed and rebar installed just as the river began to fluctuate due to rains.
"We [were waiting] to pour the waterline strut, but the river levels [were] not cooperated. The river is not only affected by rain in Arkansas, but also in Oklahoma and Kansas. All parties are monitoring the river levels and forecasted levels while there's work being done in the river."
When asked what it means to work on a project that will serve motorists for years to come, ARDOT director Jared Wiley told Construction Equipment Guide, "It's my privilege to be a part of an agency dedicated to delivering a modern transportation system to enhance safety and quality of life for everyone. The people of ARDOT work each day to leave things better than they found them yesterday. I am proud of them and their dedication to public service.
"The highway system is, without a doubt, the backbone of our state's economy. Transportation projects that have the ability to reshape a region and unlock large scale economic development potential do not come around all that often. Interstate 49 is one such project. The unique opportunity to work on a corridor that will redefine the flow of people and commerce for middle America is not lost on me or the ARDOT team. ARDOT and our industry partners are honored to rise to the challenge." CEG
