Project Delivery Innovation and Accelerated Bridge Construction Techniques

BETA has been actively involved in the implementation of the Federal Highway Administration’s Every Day Counts initiative, which seeks to identify and employ innovation aimed at shortening project delivery. BETA’s participation has included the recent completion of several project designs that incorporate Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) techniques, which are aimed at reducing the onsite construction time on bridge replacement and rehabilitation projects. The use of ABC techniques can significantly reduce traffic delays and the duration of road closures, thus minimizing inconvenience to the traveling public. BETA has also recently completed a major transportation project utilizing the Design-Build project delivery method, which can significantly shorten a project’s overall schedule in comparison to the traditional Design-Bid-Build method.

Bay Street Bridge (Morey’s Bridge) Replacement, Taunton, MA

Because of the complexity of the site and the simultaneous construction of a dam adjacent to the bridge, Morey’s Bridge was closed during construction, and traffic detoured. In order to minimize the duration of the detour, BETA incorporated several Accelerated Bridge Construction techniques into the project. One such technique was the use of secant pile walls for support of the abutments. Installed from street level behind the existing abutments, the secant pile walls eliminated the need for major excavation and excavation support systems. Another technique was the use of Prefabricated Bridge Units (PBUs) for the construction of the single-span superstructure. Each PBU consisted of a pair of color-galvanized rolled steel beams and a section of composite concrete deck. Fabricated off-site, shipped to the site in units, and erected in half a day, the PBUs greatly reduced the duration of on-site construction, thereby minimizing the length of time the roadway was detoured.

Wickford Road Bridge Superstructure Replacement – Framingham, MA

In order to minimize construction duration, the three-span Wickford Road Bridge will be closed during construction, and traffic detoured. BETA designed the replacement superstructure to maintain the existing hydraulic opening and roadway profile, as well as to be installed quickly, by using continuous rolled steel beams and full-depth precast concrete deck panels. The use of the precast panels will allow the installation of the deck to be completed in a fraction of the time required for a traditional cast-in-place concrete deck. The roadway is anticipated to be closed for only 4 months.

CSX Bridge Bundle #1 – Hinsdale and Chester, MA

In order to meet a legislative deadline to increase the vertical clearance over CSX Railroad tracks at six bridge locations in western Massachusetts, MassDOT awarded a Design-Build contract to fast-track the project. BETA’s role on the team was to design three of the six bridges, two of which were complete replacements and one of which was a superstructure jacking. BETA completed the preliminary designs at each location to allow the Design-Build contractor to accurately price the project for the bid. Once the project was awarded, the final design was fast-tracked to allow construction to commence within months of the Notice to Proceed. Design submissions and MassDOT reviews were expedited through over-the-shoulder review meetings, bi-weekly project status meetings, and use of electronic submissions. In addition, precast and modular elements were incorporated into the designs to reduce the on-site construction duration as much as possible. As a result, the vertical clearance milestone was met and the Commonwealth was able to meet its commitments.