Safety Inspection of In-Serive Bridges Training Course

So the next two weeks I will be out in Worcester, MA taking the Saftey Inspection of In-Service Bridges. The course is based off of the Bridge Inspectors reference manual and is the next step to me becoming a team leader as well as giving me a more in depth understanding of what I do every day.

Western Kentucky Bridge Collapse

Apparently two spans of the Kentucky Bridge Collapsed Thursday after being hit by a 312 foot long cargo ship. Luckily no one was injured.

This collapse will expedite the plans of replacing the bridge which carries 2,800 vehicles a daily. I'm hoping this makes the state realize the benefits of having pier protection in the channel, making sure navigation lights are working and checking the freeboard on vessels better. Here's a story about how it caused the internet to go out at local schools, oh yeah side note it also made a bridge collapse.

P.T. Segmental Concrete Box Girder Inspection

This past week I started inspecting the Central Artery ramps in South Boston. The ramps we are inspecting consist of concrete Type IV precast box girders and span over 150 feet. The ramps carry I-93 Northbound and Southbound as well as the Southbound HOV lanes.

The past two weeks we have inspected seven ramps, which has made me very familiar with South Boston (one of the few areas I wasn't familiar with before).

To gain access to the interiors we used a 40' bucket truck and on the last day we used a 70' elliot with a HUGE basket. 

Each span has access hatches but one near the ground level was locked. After calling MassDOT to unlock it we found out that the lock was not theirs. Once inside we discovered the typical debris left by the homeless. All the other boxes were fairly clean in comparison though.

The previous inspections had sketches with deficiencies which made the inspections move a efficiently with the majority of the efficiencies still in the same condition as it was two years ago.

What a concrete box girder motel looks like.

Concrete two Cell Culvert

Currently working on an inspection report of a two barrel concrete box culvert I inspected a couple weeks ago. 

The inspection started off a little hairy with our inspection van getting stuck in mud and soggy grass next to the highway. We attempted to get it out but after a lot of effort we were able to get it more stuck. Next we called a tow truck to help us get out.

While waiting for the truck we started the inspection. The previous inspection noted only 12" of water but when we arrived at the channel we noticed that recent rain had elevated to water depth and was nearly 4 feet deep. So instead of wearing hip waders we opted out for full waders.

With flashlights in hand we started down the 250 foot long barrel. At the end we noticed downed trees partially blocking the inlet. The second barrel was completely clogged and we had to back track down the first barrel to gain access to the second.

The second barrel was much deeper and had a faster flow with white water at the clogged end.

The high water might have also hurt the local animal community.

 

Jumping on the Christmas train.

Okay so it has been a little while and I have honestly not been too busy with work but I have been pretty busy enjoying life. For me that means a lot of doing stuff outdoors (biking, skiing and even joined a rock gym too). 

 

An engineer playing with legos and wearing a star wars shirt, it seems so out of place right! 

Since these only take a few minutes I figured it was time to make an update again.

Just wrapping up a few inspection reports for RIDOT. Currently wrapping up a prestressed concrete I-beam ramp located in East Providence.

The I-195 off ramp has severe deterioration to the pier caps and columns. Timber cribbing was added a few years ago. The concrete I-beams have a few locations of spalling with sections loss to the exposed rebar and stirrups.

The best part of the inspections was that the bridge was near my favorite pizza place in Providence Fellini's.

Iway - Proposed changes to city streets

RIDOT and the City of Providence have been working together to make a plan for the areas downtown once the old I-195 corridor is demolished. With the input from the public the DOT has come up with a nice layout for the post demolish areas.

Demolition of the old highway is wrapping up now and reconstruction of city streets a few were bisected by the construction of the original highway and will take place in 2012.

The following are pictures of the design maps presented at the public meetings and text from their website..

Wickenden Street/East Side Plans

Most recently, RIDOT has selected Alternative 2 among three proposed alternatives for reconfiguration of Wickenden and South Main Streets near the old highway. Revisions to the original proposal include:

•Reduce the number of lanes on the South Main Street (I-195 west-Exit 2 Off-ramp) approach from 4 to 3 lanes.

•Eliminate the channelized right turn lanes from Point Street (east) to South Water Street (south) near Corliss Landing.

•Reduce the width of the median on Wickenden Street to 12± feet. Providing a median on Wickenden Street is the best way to enhance pedestrian safety. The median will provide refuge for pedestrians who do not, or cannot cross the entire width of the street in one phase of the signal sequence. The median will be landscaped and will provide an aesthetically pleasing separation to opposing traffic.

•Eliminate the eastbound left turn lane on Wickenden Street to South Main Street (north).

•Open Benefit Street south of Wickenden Street to one-way southbound through traffic.

•Provide bump-outs at the intersections to enhance pedestrian safety by reducing the crossing distances.

•Route the shared-use path along the southerly sidewalk of Wickenden Street rather than in the median.

The following are RIDOT's thoughts regarding suggestions raised during the public process that are not being adopted:

Intersection at South Main Street and Pike Street:

The volume of traffic using the off-ramp to South Main Street (Exit 2) is significant. The traffic flow will be continuous in the morning rush hour.

Attempting to provide a safe pedestrian or vehicle crossing of South Main Street at this location would require a traffic signal.

There is not enough distance between the end of the interstate off-ramp and the intersection to allow drivers coming off the ramp to perceive a signal and react to it.

There is concern that a signal at this location would cause traffic to stop on the off-ramp and create congestion on the interstate. This will conflict with many of the improvements being realized with the Iway project. Moreover, having vehicles stopped beyond the off-ramp and on the interstate would expose them to rear-end crashes.

Left turn from westbound Wickenden Street to South Water Street (south):

Significant congestion would likely be caused on South Water Street, Point Street and Wickenden Street through Fox Point if this left turn is allowed. The current intersection configuration has three lanes in the westbound approach and a by-pass right turn lane in the eastbound direction. These will be eliminated with the redesigned alternative (Alternative 2).

The proposed alternate route for traffic destined to South Water Street (via South Main Street and Dollar Street) is only two-tenths of a mile, less than a one minute drive. This time and distance is insignificant considering the average trip for vehicles passing through this intersection.

Left turn from India Street (north) to Point Street westbound and pedestrian/bicycle crossing at India Street:

There is not adequate sight distance because of the vertical crest and horizontal curve caused by the Point St. Bridge to make a safe left turn out of India Street. Most vehicles exiting the India Point Park and waterfront area can conveniently use the new South Main St., which is signalized at Wickenden St.

Crossing Point Street would not be safe for pedestrians because the crest on the Point Street Bridge does not give drivers or pedestrians adequate sight distance.

West Side Plan Changes

Revisions to plans for areas west of the Providence River along the old highway corridor include:

•Elimination of proposed Eddy Street between Ship Street and Clifford Street.

•Accommodations for bicycles on all the new sections of streets.

•A mid-block pedestrian crossing across Dyer Street between Ship and Dorrance Streets to provide access between the new park and the Downtown and Jewelry Districts.

•Eddy Street will be three lanes wide with bike lanes in each direction. Dyer Street will be three lanes with bike and parking lanes in each direction.

Rebuilding the Pawtucket River Bridge

RIDOT is currently replacing the Pawtucket River Bridge, which carries I-95 over the Seekonk River in Pawtucket. The bridge currently is posted at 18 tons, forcing trucks to use alternative ways such as I-295,  Route 146 or local detours on the city's streets.

A total of seven bridges will be rehabilitated as part of this $81 million project. The bridges will be constructed in phases and soon the posting will be removed.

Currently when I drive over this bridge there are two state troopers at each end waiting for trucks over the weight limit to pass over. The fine is a few thousand dollars to the driver and not worth the risk in my mind at least.

RIDOT announced the other day that it has started construction of three steel arches for the first part of the Pawtucket River Bridge replacement.

Using prefabricated sections of steel will make for a faster onsite construction time. They estimated that it will only take two weeks to complete the construction but I think with this winter weather heading in it might take a little long

The next phase of the $81 million project will involve demolishing the existing I-95 North bridge and building a new structure in 2012. RIDOT will then shift I-95 South traffic to that new span, a step that will completely eliminate the 18-ton weight limit on the Interstate. Construction will continue with the demolition and reconstruction of the third major span, after which RIDOT will remove all traffic shifts on the highway. The bridge being built this fall will remain in service and be used for traffic entering and exiting the highway from George Street and School Street. -From RIDOTs website

Flickr Photos From RIDOT

Find Structurally Deficient Bridges near you!

Just found out about this site which shows Structurally deficient bridges on google, they even break down the bridge with the average daily traffic (doesn't show % of truck traffic tho), year built, ratings and even the last date of inspection (which I'm hoping is not up to date in Mass since they are out of cycle).

There is also a table that breaks down the states. I'm not sure if I should be happy or that Rhode Island and Massachusetts are near the top of the list.