A Link-Belt RTC8065 crane works on Abutment 2 of the Beaver River Bridge.
(Fay, S&B USA Construction photo)
A Beaver County, Pa., project involving the complete replacement of the mainline bridge over the Beaver River is well under way on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
The contract was awarded to Fay, S&B USA Construction. This $270 million project calls for the total reconstruction and widening of 2 mi. of the Turnpike's east-west mainline (Interstate 76) between Milepost 12 and Milepost 14.
A new 1,645-linear ft., five-span, parallel cast-in-place segmental bridge over the Beaver River will be 25 ft. taller at the crown and approximately double the width. The current single 60-ft.-wide bridge will be replaced with two 58-ft.-wide bridges that travel in each direction.
The project began in January 2023 and will be completed in September of 2027.
Both bridges are currently being built beside the current bridge and will be ready for traffic by November 2026, when the original bridge will then be demolished.
Fay reported that the project is the largest the company has been awarded since its inception.
The current steel deck truss was built in 1953 and is one of the oldest original structures on the PA Turnpike that has yet to be replaced. The project consists of three bridge structure replacements, one culvert structure expansion, I-76 widening, city street reconstruction and reconfiguration of the I-76 & SR18 interchange.
"The critical path of the project lays on the replacement of the existing Big Beaver River Bridge," according to Fay. "The new WB Bridge construction will begin first and when open to traffic, the old bridge will serve the eastbound traffic as the eastbound bridge is constructed. Once both the new westbound and eastbound bridges are completed, the project will conclude with the demolition of all old bridge structures and final roadway activities. After both the new bridges are open to traffic, the interchange will be completed, tying with the new I-76 eastbound roads. Once the interchange is completed, all roads will be open to traffic, by November 2026.
Katie Spear, vice president of marketing of S&B USA, reported about the cranes that are being used for the project.
"In preparation for the new bridges, a Manitowoc 4100 crane is being used to construct Pier 1 on land and a Kobelco 1100 is being used to drive piles for the new turnpike bridge over Route 18, where a dual 153-ft. single-span bridge will be built," she said.
Spear also noted that a Link-Belt 238 crane is being used on the other side of the river to build Pier 4. Piers 2 and 3 will be built in the water. A Kobelco 2750 is being used to build the cofferdam for Pier 2, and a Link-Belt 238, now on a trestle, will be "walked" out onto a barge on the water to construct the coffer ring for Pier 3. Additional standard equipment in use includes excavators, arctic trucks and dozers.
"This project has two interesting highlights: tunnel boring and a cast-in-place segmental bridge," Spear said.
For the boring operation, Spear said that Fay's subcontractor, Capitol Tunneling, used a tunnel boring machine (TBM) to finish a 250 ft.-long tunnel for drainage.
"This tunnel was built 40 ft. under live traffic on the PA Turnpike westbound of the bridge," she said. "The TBM drilled through solid rock, and a conveyor system on rails followed the TBM to gather debris, remove it from the tunnel and then come back for subsequent loads. This operation ran 24/7, which allowed the installation of 72-inch reinforced concrete pipe [RCP] to form a culvert for a new stream."
She added that work on the cast-in-place segmental system will begin next year.
"Essentially, this is a balanced cantilever construction process where segments are progressively cast in 15-foot segments at their final position in the structure while being cantilevered on alternate sides of a cement pier," she said. "A form traveler is used to form segments, and it is advanced forward with each cycle. As the segments build out from each pier, adjacent cantilevers meet and are then connected with a closure. This method is used most often over difficult terrain, as it allows for the construction of longer spans with fewer segments."
Other aspects of the project include a total of 22,000 ft. of drainage, 2 mi. of neighboring highway widening on I-76 to create three lanes in each direction instead of two, the reconfiguration of the half-cloverleaf/half-diamond ramp at the I-76 and SR 18 interchange, as well as new ITS and signing.
"While the logistics of the Beaver River Bridge project are interesting, it's always important to acknowledge those working hard to execute the vision," Spear said. CEG
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