Two County Bridges Dodge County Wisconsin

<figure id='attachment_8166' style='max-width:979px' class='caption aligncenter'><img class="size-full wp-image-8166" src="https://www.geoinstitute.org/sites/default/files/geotech-tools-uploads/…; alt="Two photographs, Bridge 1, CTH-S over Shaw Brook (a) and Bridge 2, CTH-KW over Pratt Creek (b)." width="979" height="683" /><figcaption class='caption-text'> Figure 1. Bridge 1, CTH-S over Shaw Brook (a) and Bridge 2, CTH-KW over Pratt Creek (b).</figcaption></figure>Location: Dodge County, Wisconsin Owner: Dodge County Highway Department Year Constructed: 2016 National Bridge Inventory (NBI) Numbers: B-14-216 (Bridge 1, CTH-S over Shaw Brook); B-14-217 (Bridge 2, CTH-KW over Pratt Creek) Crossing Type: Roadway bridges over stream Superstructure Type: Precast Prestressed Box Girders Span: 40 feet (Bridge 1); 43 feet (Bridge 2) Maximum Wall Height: 13.7 feet (Bridge 1); 11.7 feet (Bridge 2) Maximum Wall Width (edge to edge): 36.7 feet (Structure 1); 32.7 feet (Bridge 2) Skew: 0 degrees (Bridge 1); 15 degrees (Bridge 2) Facing Type: Segmental Retaining Wall (SRW) Average Daily Traffic (when constructed): 1400 (Bridge 1); 500 (Bridge 2) Contract Type: Design-Bid-Build Unique Project Feature: Project Showcase and videoBackground: The County Trunk Highway S (CTH-S) bridge, which crosses over Shaw Brook (Bridge 1), and the Country Trunk Highway (CTH-KW) bridge, which crosses over Pratt Creek (Bridge 2), are located in Dodge County, Wisconsin (see figures 2a and 2b) and are the focus of this case history. Bridge 1 is located south of Beaver Dam, the most populated area in Dodge County, and Bridge 2 is located northwest of the village of Clyman. Both bridges provide important connections for the surrounding communities and are frequently used.<figure id='attachment_8167' style='max-width:1051px' class='caption aligncenter'><img class="size-full wp-image-8167" src="https://www.geoinstitute.org/sites/default/files/geotech-tools-uploads/…; alt="Sketches of the project location. To the left, location of Dodge County, Wisconsin, to the right, location of Bridges 1 and 2." width="1051" height="464" /><figcaption class='caption-text'> Figure 2. (a) Location of Dodge County, Wisconsin and (b) Bridges 1 and 2.</figcaption></figure>Prior to being upgraded, the bridges along CTH-S and CTH-KW were similar in size. The old bridges had timber abutments with steel girders supporting a concrete deck (see figures 3a and 3b), were approaching the end of their design life, and were in deteriorating condition. Given the important connections the bridges provided for local communities and to ensure public’s safety, Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) and Dodge County decided they had to be replaced.<figure id='attachment_8168' style='max-width:1267px' class='caption aligncenter'><img class="size-full wp-image-8168" src="https://www.geoinstitute.org/sites/default/files/geotech-tools-uploads/…; alt="Two photographs before replacement, to the left, Bridge 1, to the right, Bridge 2," width="1267" height="357" /><figcaption class='caption-text'> Figure 3. Bridges 1 (a) and 2 (b) before replacement. Source: OMNI Associates, Inc.</figcaption></figure>Deployment: Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Integrated Bridge System (GRS-IBS) was selected as the technology for constructing Bridges 1 and 2. Both structures also featured prefabricated bridge elements and systems (PBES) in the form of precast concrete box girders. This was the first time GRS-IBS was combined with PBES in the state of Wisconsin and resulted in formation of a complete Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) system. Featuring ABC made WisDOT and Dodge County eligible to receive an Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which was an important funding source. FHWA’s AID grant is awarded to projects that use innovative practices or technologies, such as ABC, to make significant improvements over conventional methods. Benefits of the GRS-IBS method include faster and easier construction, as well as savings in cost, when compared to conventional bridge construction methods. Constructing with PBES further reduces construction time, minimizes impacts on local communities, and lessens the risks of injury to construction workers.<figure id='attachment_8169' style='max-width:725px' class='caption aligncenter'><img class="size-full wp-image-8169" src="https://www.geoinstitute.org/sites/default/files/geotech-tools-uploads/…; alt="Photograph of site visit at 90% complete (Bridge 1)." width="725" height="544" /><figcaption class='caption-text'> Figure 4. Site visit at 90% complete (Bridge 1). Photo taken by Daniel Alzamora.</figcaption></figure>While this project marked the first time GRS-IBS and PBES technologies were combined in Wisconsin, WisDOT was already familiar with using these technologies separately. As prefabricated bridge elements have become more common in recent years, WisDOT had used PBES technology multiple times previously. On the other hand, WisDOT had only one previous experience using GRS-IBS. Wisconsin’s first GRS-IBS bridge, State Highway 40 (STH-40) over Hay Creek, was constructed in Chippewa in 2012. The STH-40 bridge had similar dimensions to Bridges 1 and 2, but featured a cast-in-place superstructure instead of a precast deck. Initially designed for low levels of truck traffic, the STH-40 bridge has experienced a significant increase in truck traffic and average daily traffic volumes since its construction. This increase is a result of the bridge being located on a haul route for frac sands; the trucks loaded with sand have been frequently crossing the bridge to dispose the soil. Despite these unexpected changes, the STH-40 bridge has responded well and remains in excellent condition as of this writing. Due to STH-40’s success, WisDOT has continued to construct GRS-IBS bridges and has developed policy, standards, and special provisions for the technology. Plans to use GRS-IBS for Bridges 1 and 2, which were included in WisDOT’s AID grant, were derived from the positive experiences with STH-40.As part of WisDOT’s AID grant, Bridges 1 and 2 were featured as a showcase. The showcase included technical presentations by both the project team and FHWA representatives as well as featured construction site visits of Bridges 1 and 2. Attendees observed the construction of the facing wall at Bridge 2 and the overlay placement on top of set and grouted concrete girders at Bridge 1 (figure 4).The showcase proved to be a great way of educating participants, such as local owners, engineering consultants, construction contractors, and other interested parties, about GRS-IBS and ABC methods. As a result of the AID grant, another method of educating the public about GRS-IBS was developed. A <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqSrYzrNkh8&index=1&list=FL4nHo…; featuring the construction of the Bridges 1 and 2 and general information about GRS-IBS technology was created for the showcase and has been an effective education tool; it has been used over and over again to promote the GRS-IBS technology across the nation.Project Challenges and Solutions: Despite it being the first time WisDOT deployed GRS-IBS technology combined with PBES, Bridges 1 and 2 were successfully constructed. Below are descriptions of some challenges encountered by the project team during the process.Segmental Retaining Wall (SRW) units Split face SRW units with open back were selected for the GRS wall facing. The contractor had little experience working with this type of material and initially found it difficult to construct the facing wall. One of the challenges was the placement of corner SRW units built with 90 degree angles as part of the GRS abutment at Bridge 1. The contractor had to cut many blocks to fit the corners causing delays in construction of Bridge 1. This challenge was resolved by constructing the walls with rounded corners at Bridge 2. Opting for rounded corners significantly reduced construction time and effort, as the blocks did not have to be cut for a proper fit. The rounded corners also added more stability and aesthetics to the GRS abutments at Bridge 2 (see figure 1b).Coffer-dam Both Bridges 1 and 2 required the addition of a coffer-dam, designed for a two-year flood event, during abutment construction. Generally, coffer-dams add a significant cost to construction projects. To reduce the cost of the coffer-dams used in these projects, one coffer-dam wall was installed in the middle of the waterway and used for construction of both GRS abutments without being moved. This was done by extending the coffer-dam wing walls from the waterway wall to cut off one abutment footprint area at a time. Once the first abutment was complete, the wing coffer-dam walls were moved to cut off the second abutment footprint area while keeping the waterway wall in place. This method reduced construction duration and the amount of coffer-dam wall used, thus reducing the total cost of the project.<figure id='attachment_8170' style='max-width:288px' class='caption aligncenter'><img class="size-full wp-image-8170" src="https://www.geoinstitute.org/sites/default/files/geotech-tools-uploads/…; alt="Photograph of coffer-dam at Bridge 2." width="288" height="216" /><figcaption class='caption-text'> Figure 5. Coffer-dam at Bridge 2.</figcaption></figure>Flooded abutment construction area During construction of one of the GRS abutments, the inside of the coffer-dam was flooded. The flooding caused full immersion of the half-complete GRS abutment. Upon dewatering the coffer-dam enclosed area the following morning, no damage to the wall was found. The lack of damage allowed construction to resume quickly and any delay was minor due to the timely dewatering of the coffer-dam.Conclusion: In collaboration with FHWA, WisDOT has made a strong effort to promote GRS-IBS technology within the state of Wisconsin and across the country. The STH-40 bridge and Bridges 1 and 2 were presented as showcases to educate owners, engineers, contractors, and others interested in transportation on using GRS-IBS technology. This approach was new and WisDOT and FHWA’s showcase of STH-40 was the first GRS-IBS showcase in the nation.Additionally, following completion, STH-40 was presented during the Third Round of Every Day Counts Initiative Summit (EDC-3). WisDOT and FHWA’s efforts to educate practitioners and the public on GRS-IBS technology have resulted in more GRS-IBS projects being built nationwide and in the state of Wisconsin.Project Contact: James Luebke Structures Development Engineer Wisconsin Department of Transportation Bureau of Structures james.luebke@dot.wi.gov (608) 266-5098Project Technical Paper: A technical paper has not been published for this project.REFERENCES“Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration Project: Replacing Two County Bridges using Geosynthetic Reinforced Bridge System” (report, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, 2017).“Dodge County Bridge Replacement Projects”, OMNNI Associates. Retrieved from: <a href="https://omnni.com/projects/dodge-county-bridge-replacement-projects/">h…;. Accessed May 2, 2017.“Dodge County GRS-IBS Showcase” (presentation, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, 2016).“Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil-Integrated Bridge System (GRS-IBS) – EDC-3 Summit”, YouTube, 2015. Retrieved from: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NOLcVtAln0">https://www.youtube.com/wa…; (17:48). Accessed April 24, 2017.“GRS-IBS Bridge Replacement in Dodge Co., Wisconsin”, YouTube, 2016. Retrieved from: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqSrYzrNkh8&index=1&list=FL4nHo…;. Accessed April 12, 2017.“Plan of Proposed Improvement. Lowell – STH 26 (Pratt Creek Bridge B-14-0217)” (construction drawings, State of Wisconsin Department of Transportation, 2016).Bill Oliva, “STH 40 Over Hay Creek - GRS-IBS - Site Consideration” (presentation, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, 2012).Bob Arndorfer, “GRS-IBS Showcase: Design, Materials Specifications and Construction” (presentation, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, 2012).Daniel Alzamora, phone conversation with the author of this document, May 16, 2017.James Luebke, phone conversation with the author of this document, June 8, 2017.

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Technology

Mechanically Stabilized Earth Wall System