Fall 1997 Newsletter
"Tuesday morning, Joe’s laborers are scheduled to sand blast the south,
upper column area, Bent 5. Pete’s carpenters will finish the dowel template
work at north upper column, Bent 5 and move to the south leg by noon. The
falsework erection
crew is scheduled at both legs of Bent 5 Wednesday a.m. Rod busters
get Thursday (no matter how many hours it takes) and the pour is positively
confirmed for noon on Friday." This conversation (or something very similar)
is heard 3 or 4 times each
day in Traylor Pacific field office on the Vincent Thomas Bridge. Let
us mention that the name of the game in the seismic retrofit market is
schedule, not monthly schedule, nor weekly, nor daily, but hourly schedule.
Superintendents and project support staff are continually coordinating
the minute movements of 30-40 craftsmen spread over at least a dozen work
areas in a mad scramble to upgrade these structures prior to the next "big
one." It is not that the retrofit work is that difficult (or even complicated)
but rather that the quantities of work are spread over such large areas
of the job. For example, over the next 14 months the team at the Vincent
Thomas Bridge will place 6,400 cubic yards of structural and footing concrete.
Now 6,400 CY is a respectable quantity and one that would usually generate
some level of economies of scale on a typical heavy civil job. What you
don’t see though is that the design dictates this quantity be broken-up
into over 210 pours (for an average pour of 30 cubic yards). At this level
of dispersion (or disruption) the schedule looks more like that of a residential
homebuilder than that of a heavy construction contractor. Each work activity
on the job bears these similar traits: decent quantities spread over huge
work areas. So the name of the game has to become schedule: the art and
science of moving crews and equipment efficiently
between work locations. The State of California has been seismically
upgrading its 2,400 + bridge structures since the February 1971 Sylmar
earthquake which resulted in the collapse of several major structures in
the San Fernando Valley. The Northridge earthquake (6.8 on the Richter
scale) in January of 1994 accelerated the statewide retrofit program and
brought validation to several key design assumptions of the retrofit strategy.
On each retrofit, be they a $500,000 overpass project or $100,000,000 Bay
area bridge, we usually see similar design philosophies: Foundation Improvements:
Typical foundation retrofit involves installation of additional support
piling to either increase the bearing or uplift capacity of the footing
or provide greater lateral capacity. Footings are usually thickened or
enlarged to increase the reverse moment capacity at the column/footing
interface.
Column Improvements: Column retrofit usually involves installation
of a jacketing system to confine the concrete around the vertical reinforcing
steel. Jackets are made of a thin steel plate, reinforced concrete or spun
carbon filament. Cap Improvements: Pier caps are typically thickened to
improve their ability to handle large lateral loads and/or to force plastic
hinging into specific areas. Concrete blocks are usually added to the top
of the caps to confine (or trap) the superstructure
members on top of the pier. Bearing Retrofits: The 1994 Northridge
earthquake surprised the entire community with not only the magnitude (or
intensity) of the event but also with the level of horizontal movement
experienced by even the newest
structures. Typical bearing improvements now involve the removal and
replacement of existing rocker/fixed bearing assemblies with elastomeric
or PTFE bearings that tolerate significantly larger ranges of motion. Super
Structure Improvements: In a
final effort to control the larger movements of the structure, several
areas are usually modified: á Expansion joints are modified (increased)
to allow the structure greater longitudinal movement. á Simple supported
girders are tied together across pier tops
to prevent single units from falling off the supporting surface. á
Hinge joints are restrained to prevent excessive movements. á And
finally, shock-absorbing devices known as "viscous dampers" are installed
in some structures to dissipate some of the
seismic energy as it moves through the structure. Traylor Pacific’s
$25,000,000 project on the Vincent Thomas Bridge involves many of these
improvements. Over the next 14 months crews will install: á 1,500
cubic yards of structural concrete to
thicken the existing column footings. á 4,900 cubic yards of
structural concrete to jacket the existing columns and thicken the pier
caps. á 72,000 lineal feet of rock drilling and bonding of rebar
dowels into the existing pier faces. á 14,000 lineal feet
of core drilling concrete core drilling for the grouting of high strength
rods. á Jacking and removal of 44 of the existing bearings supporting
the approach span plate girders and installing PTFE sliding bearing replacements.
á Installation of threaded
rod systems between each of the girder ends on top of each pier. á
Strengthen the floor truss and bottom laterals on the suspension spans.
á Modify the existing expansion joints at the cable bents. á
Strengthen the existing towers. á Install 48
viscous dampers in the truss side span, truss/tower and cable bent
areas. á Install maintenance traveler and rail system on the 1800-ft
west approach. á Removal and replacement of 14 of the existing suspender
cables. As of early September, the
footing and column work is well under way on the west approach of the
structure. The steel erection work is just beginning with the installation
of access scaffolding near the east tower of the suspended span. The entire
project is scheduled to be
complete in early October 1998. Traylor Pacific is delighted to be
involved in the first toll bridge retrofit contract in this the final phase
of CalTran’s bridge upgrading effort. The project not only provides the
division with a valuable "1st job" but also
provides enviable insight to our estimating efforts on similar bridgework
in the bay area. (More about the detailed progress of Joe’s laborers in
future editions.)
17th Street Causeway - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Traylor Bros. executed a contract with the Florida Department
of Transportation on 07/31/97 to construct a mid-level bascule bridge over
the Intracoastal Waterway on the 17th Street Causeway in Fort Lauderdale,
Florida. This bridge will be 1,908 feet long with dual 53.5 foot wide roadways,
and provide a 125 ft wide by 55 ft vertical clearance at the waterway when
closed. Vertical clearance, when the span opens, will be unlimited. The
bridge consists of nine approach spans of precast segmental superstructure
on C.I.P. piers and drilled shaft foundations, and a twin-leaf bascule
span of 242 ft. The structural steel bascule spans rest on Y-legged "carina"
piers of post-tensioned, C.I.P. concrete, on drilled shaft/cofferdam foundations.
Work is slated to begin the first week of November 1997. The first (north)
half of the new bridge is scheduled for completion by January of 1999.
The total project, including the south bridge and all roadway and approach
work, is to be completed by April of 2000, a total of 900 contract days.
To begin the project, Traylor must complete the landside spans of a temporary
bascule bridge already under construction. Remaining to be completed by
Traylor is 24,450 sf of bridge, consisting of 15 thirty-foot spans of precast
concrete slab deck, and three spans, totalling 240 ft of precast deck panels
on structural steel. The substructure will be constructed utilizing 18
precast bent caps and over 8,100 lf of 20" steel pipe pile. Also required
is 25,000 sf of temporary sheet pile walls, with 39 tie-backs, to contain
the temporary embankment. Once two lanes of traffic are placed on the temporary
bridge, demolition of the north half of the existing bridge can commence.
The existing concrete on steel girder approach spans will be split down
the middle, with the north two lanes being removed. The existing bascule
span must remain
intact, because the steel and machinery arrangement will not allow
it to be cut in two and still function. Temporary falsework protection
must be installed over the existing bascule counterweights to ensure that
no damage occurs during construction of the
new carina piers above them. Also included in this phase is an additional
24,300 sf of temporary sheet piling and 44 prerestressed anchors,
to allow for the excavation of the existing embankment. There are a total
of 113 each of 42" drilled shafts required for the new bridge, plus four
test holes/demonstration shafts, totalling 8,823 lf of shaft. Also required
are four Osterburg cell load tests, and one lateral load test. Prior to
beginning drilled shaft work, each shaft location requires a core sample.
There are over 5,660,000 lbs of rebar in the job, just over 19,500 lf of
steel and aluminum railings required, 86,650 cy of embankments and surcharges,
as well as 37,533 sf of temporary and permanent Tensar MSE wall systems.
The stainless
steel-clad control house has 470 sf of tinted, bullet proof glass.
Total existing bridge area to be demolished is just over 60,000 sf and
requires that the existing bascule pier, including piling and seals, be
completely removed. Cofferdams are required to
limit environmental degradation during demolition of these piers.
Fulton Street
Bridge Pump Station
In May of 1997, Fulton Street Bridge crews changed hats to begin installation
of a
water collection system and the reconstruction of a pump station. The
project was
let in two contracts. One for $98,000 to supply the pumps which had
a four month
lead time and another for $840,000 to do the job. The Fulton Street
Underpass has
been known to frequently swallow cars during heavy rains (not 100 year
rainstorms,
but 1/2 year rain storms for you municipal storm water planning types).
The first part
of the project consisted of the collection system. Seventeen catch
basins and 1,000
ft of pipe, ranging from 18" diameter to 36" arch pipe replaced two
catch basins and
100 ft of 15" pipe along Fulton and Overton Streets. Crews followed
with 1200 ft
of base and concrete patchwork. The challenge for this phase was working
in and
out of traffic which was narrowed down to two lanes from four lanes
with no
shoulder access. It also convinced the former Superintendent that he’d
rather be
driving a dump truck, which, by the way, is his new occupation. The
second piece
of the project consisted of replacing two 12" discharge pumps and motors
with four
new 60HP 1200 RPM motors which powered four 16" discharge, 12.5 cfs
pumps.
The key challenge on this phase of work has been converting the existing
dry/wet
well system into a complete wet well system. Several pairs of waders
were worn
out during this work. By the end of the project, we learned the measure
twice, cut
once theory. All in all, the pump station adventure has been a success
with the
exception of one recordable injury. The rest of the job is 99% complete
with minor
punchlist items to complete. A thank you and dedication luncheon was
held on
Friday, August 22, 1997, to recognize all who have helped bring the
Fulton Street
Bridge and Pump Station to completion.
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The Heavy Civil Division recently signed a contract for the Sailboat
Bridge project,
near Grove, Oklahoma, which bid August 21. The twin 928m (3,044') long
bridge
will replace the existing two lane bridge built in 1937 to carry U.S.
59 over Grand
lake. One of the bridges will utilize 16 of the original bridge piers
to reduce
foundation costs in the 21m (70') deep water. Spans are 37m (122')
to match the
existing bridge pier spacing. Vertical navigational clearance will
be 15.8 m (52'),
which will open the northern end of the lake to boats in the area.
Complex phasing
will be required to maintain traffic during construction.
On Friday, September 26, Traylor Bros. Heavy Civil Division was apparent low bidder
on a
new 4,510' cable stayed, twin tower, bridge project. The bridge spans
the Ohio
River and Indiana 66 near Rockport, Indiana, and Owensboro, Kentucky
(US
231). The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will oversee the project
expected to
start-up in early December 1997.
Patton Island
Bridge Superstructure
A note from Evansville about
this project: as the photo at left illustrates, this project was
built in the tailwaters of the Tennesee River dam at Florance, AL.
River currents were as high as 8 mph, and the bottom was slick bare rock.
You can imagine the challenge working in these conditions! Also note
our 4100 Manitowoc ringer and barge that was utilized to set these unusually
heavy girders.
August was a good month
for Traylor Bros. at the Patton Island Bridge project. Completing several work items
and a relatively dry month has helped promote a more rigorous schedule,
making up for numerous lost inclement weather days and bringing the
project to 75+ percent completion. Accomplishments to date: -Completed
setting bulb tee girders (247 total) -Diaphragms completed 716 of 884 or
81% -North bound bridge deck concrete - "completed" all 13 spans (Pumped
final span
concrete 1920 lf for a total of 3000 cy placed in the north bound deck
-South bound bridge deck concrete - 1st of 13 spans placed -Stay in place
decking - working in Span 11 south bound bridge (62%) -Barrier wall concrete
- 6 east side
spans of the north bound bridge -OSHA jobsite visit - no citations
recorded We are pleased and proud that everyone is participating in the
Safety Awareness Program. Providing and maintaining a safe workplace
is everyone’s responsibility. Good luck for continued success!
On-the-Job Training Program, Neuse River Bridge
The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1968 was passed by the 91st Congress.
It
included a special section devoted to promoting and insuring equal
employment
opportunity in the field of Federal-Aid highway construction. The Act
outlined how
the incorporation of equal opportunity legislation and regulations
would be
accomplished and reiterated that inclusion of these provisions reflected
the
congressional commitment to the development of an effective equal employment
opportunity program because "they believe in the essential correctness
of such a
program." All OJT programs approved for use embody the objectives of
fairness
and equity as required by the Code of Federal Regulations 23 CFR Ch.
1, Sub Part
C, Section 230,.307 which reads: "Every employee and representative
of State
Highway Agencies shall perform all official equal employment opportunity
actions in
an affirmative manner, and in accord with the applicable statutes,
executive orders,
regulations, and policies enunciated there under, to assure the equality
of
employment opportunity, without regard to race, color, religion, sex,
or national
origin both in its own workforce and in the workforces of contractors,
sub-contractors, and material suppliers engaged in the performance
of federal-aid
highway construction contracts." Upon setting up the project site in
New Bern,
North Carolina, on the Neuse River, Traylor Bros. made a commitment
to
implement the North Carolina DOT On-The-Job Training Program. The primary
objective of the NCDOT OJT program is to provide training opportunities
for
women and minorities which will increase their participation in every
craft
classification in the highway construction industry. There are two
types of training
that are generally recognized, apprenticeship and self-administered
on-the-job
training programs. Apprenticeship programs usually require at least
some classroom
instruction time and are one to four years in duration. In North Carolina,
however,
most training is done through approved On-The Job Training Programs.
Training
and supervision is provided by the contractor for an employee who is
enrolled in an
approved training program for a given classification and position.
Employee
compensation during training is governed by the Davis/Bacon Act and
the project
special provisions of the contract. Contractors responsibilities include
having an
Affirmative Action Plan and Policy in place prior to beginning any
federal aid
project. Submission of a trainee training schedule is due prior to
the preconstruction
conference set for a particular project. Contractors decide whether
trainees are
selected from their current workforce or whether special recruiting
will be
undertaken. OJT trainees are enrolled on approved forms and submitted
to the
Resident Engineer for approval. The contractor orients the training
foreman,
superintendent, and OJT trainee to their individual responsibilities
in the program.
The contractor annotates the certified payroll and is required to show
training hours
as distinct from regular hours for each OJT trainee and submits weekly.
The
contractor monitors all trainee progress and notifies the Resident
Engineer within five
working days of any trainee terminations. Contractors can assign training
positions
to subcontractors but still retain the responsibility for full compliance
with the OJT
trainee requirements. Since early 1996, Traylor Bros. has had 31 trainees enrolled
in the OJT
program. Of that 31, seven have graduated the program, and seven have
terminated. There are currently 17 still enrolled and undergoing on-the-job
training.
Of notable mention, Neuse River project’s first OJT trainee graduated
the dozer
operator training program in approximately seven months time and is
now a foreman
on the jobsite. We salute these employees and wish them much success
in
continuing their careers with Traylor Bros..
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