![[ Traylor Bros., Inc. ]](../TraylorLogo.gif){kind=small}
Summer 1997 Newsletter
Blackwater River Bridge Nears Completion
As August 24, 1997, or "D-Day" approaches, the team at Blackwater River is furiously heading towards completion. On June 10, the last 24" production pile was driven, and on June 13, the last cap was placed. Hot on the heels of the substructure crews, the ironworkers completed through Unit 2, and completed the final unit on June 27. Right behind the structural crew were the metal decking and formwork crews. The concrete decks for Unit 4E were completed on May 7, while Unit 3E completed May 28. Our target deck completion is set for the second week of July, including the extension, with mobilization for specialty subcontractors soon after. Demolition of the existing remaining bridge started June 3 and made its completion deadline. The crew at Blackwater has worked continuously since January 15, 1996, six days a week, averaging 10-hour days in an effort to make the 627 day target. Last November, a random clay layer, unknown at the time of bid, caused the failure of the approach to the Westbound Bridge. By December 4, traffic was routed onto the other existing bridge and pile driving crews began installing a 180' extension. On February 17, traffic was on the new Westbound Bridge.
After nearly 12 months, excavation continues on the Metro Red Line Tunnel by Traylor Bros./Frontier-Kemper Constructors, Inc. Joint Venture! The twin subway tunnels have been beset with difficult ground conditions from "squeezing" ground (as noted in our last article) to heavily fractured and jointed ground with water inflows and numerous shear zones. In addition, some unusual site conditions and requirements have added to the excitement on the project. These conditions range from the infamous "La Brea Dome" and "Sherwood Forest," to the Court ordered "Seasonal Springs Grouting." Historically, water has been a bane to mining and tunneling in that pumping and grouting water inflows were limited by equipment and technique. But with today's high pressure and high volume pumps and new grouting materials such as "micro-fine" cement, water control is more effective, and mining and tunneling projects can proceed through ground conditions once thought impossible. In the case of the "Seasonal Springs Grouting," Traylor Bros./FKCI has undertaken another unusual requirement as part of a lawsuit settlement between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the Friends of Runyon Canyon Park. The lawsuit was initiated in an effort to protect the vegetation and wildlife in the belief that the subway tunnels being driven below the Park would lower the water table and cause the springs to dry up completely. The MTA has identified several springs in Runyon Canyon Park and projected "zones" down through the rock to the tunnel alignment which will be grouted. In order to perform the work and not delay the TBMs (aka Thelma and Louise), Traylor Bros./FKCI designed a "grout jumbo" that will allow drilling of grout holes, pumping of grout, and the passage of the muck trains from the TBMs to the portal. As the grouting program continues, on-going work includes the excavation of the tunnels by TBM, excavation of the Special Seismic Section, and excavation of crosspassages between the tunnels. A great deal of work yet remains! Preparations are underway to commence the concrete tunnel lining work from the Hollywood/Highland Subway Station to the La Brea Shafts, and after the TBMs "hole through," Thelma and Louise will be decommissioned. Excavation work will then begin on the track level rooms and crossovers by conventional drill and shoot methods, as will concrete tunnel lining operations including the crosspassage lining operations. A Value Engineering Proposal is in the works to substitute the cast-in-place concrete lining of the crossovers for the use of shotcrete and lattice girders which is estimated to save the project considerable time and money.
Another record was recently set on the Choctawhatchee Bay Bridge in Destin, Florida, built by Traylor Bros. in the early 1990s. The 10,000,000 driver crossed the bridge and was rewarded with fanfare and gifts. The first record was set by Traylor Bros. in September 1992 by placing seven concrete segmental bridge spans in seven days for a total of 952 ft of bridge erection. In addition to the astounding amount of traffic that crosses the Mid-Bay Bridge, the Owner, the Mid-Bay Bridge Authority, is even more impressed with the increased revenue up 15% over the projected income! Traylor Bros. is proud to have been a part in the history of the remarkable Choctawhatchee Mid-Bay Bridge.
Construction of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinetâs Maysville Cable Stayed Bridge Project has begun. The $36,415,000 project will be the Commonwealth of Kentuckyâs first ever Cable Stayed Bridge. The new bridge will span the Ohio River and link the towns of Maysville, Kentucky, and Aberdeen, Ohio. Traylor Bros. moved on site in mid-February and was met by record rains in early March. During a 24-hour period, the area received 10 inches of rain. By Sunday evening, March 2, a new record for total rainfall in the entire month of March had been set. The Ohio River elevation increased 27 feet from Friday evening to Monday morning. Record flooding devastated the entire Ohio Valley. Fortunately, work had not yet begun in the river and marine equipment had not been mobilized. At this time, the river has receded and the first of two cofferdams for the construction of the 343' tall bridge pylons is complete. The cofferdam walers and struts, fabricated by Evansville Shop personnel, have been assembled and installed. The driving of 70 feet long Arbed sheet piling is complete. Each of the main bridge pylons will be supported on 16 drilled shafts. The drilled shafts will socket into a limestone formation. Construction of the drilled shafts will begin in early June. The drilled shaft crew is completing rigging up a Manitowoc 4100 crane with a Hain 8V71 drill. A full face reverse circulation roller bit will be used to drill the limestone sockets. A glover style boulder bucker, rock auger, and drilling bucket have been purchased to excavate materials above the limestone. The ten cubic yard Ross central mix batch plant is being assembled to make the 256 twenty-five ton precast deck panels. Traylor Bros. will install 80 stay cables supplied by VSL. The stay cables will support a steel superstructure and precast panel deck. Vincennes Steel will fabricate and deliver 7,000,000 lbs of steel girders which will be erected. Buckland & Taylor, LTD of North Vancouver, British Columbia, will prepare the erection manuals. Javier Steel of Louisville, Kentucky, will install 3,800,000 lbs of rebar fabricated by Ameristeel. Hilltop Construction Company of Kenova, West Virginia, will construct the approach embankment and roadway. West End Electric Co., Inc. of Portsmouth, Ohio, is the project electrical contractor. With a solid team assembled, everyone at the Maysville Project is looking forward to a successful and productive summer.
Pierce Elevated-Planning, Partnership, and Performance
The southbound lanes of the Pierce Elevated opened to traffic on Friday, June 13, but it proved to be a lucky day for Traylor Bros., TxDOT, and the City of Houston. Traylor Bros. earned an additional 1.2 million dollars for completing Phase II 23 days early; TxDOT realized a public relations coup; and, Mr. John Q. Public, accustomed to Houston construction nightmares, is delighted to have his road back. Phase II early completion was the result of the same detailed planning and precision performance that created a seven day early completion in Phase I. During Phase II, Traylor Bros. crews, working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, erected 58 precast concrete caps, 45,000 lf of beams, 262,000 sf of precast deck panels, and poured 390,000 sf of deck in 51 days. This works out to 167 lf of new bridge, 50' wide, demolished and reconstructed every 24 hours! The success of this project required a level of cooperation and commitment from subcontractors, suppliers, and the Owner that tested the boundaries of partnering. They are all to be commended for a job well done. With the completion of Phase II, many of the key personnel have been reassigned to other Traylor Bros. projects. To those of us remaining falls the task of making the streets, alleys, and parking lots surrounding the bridge once again resemble downtown Houston, instead of Beirut. Final completion of this work is scheduled for September 4.
Patton Island Bridge Superstructure
The Patton Island Bridge Superstructure is two three-lane bridges crossing the Tennessee River, Patton Island, and the parallel Florence Canal connecting the cities of Muscle Shoals and Florence, Alabama. The superstructure projectâs twin 1,820 lf bridges span only the Tennessee River portion of the substructure in 13 simple spans of 140 lf each. Finances limited the Ownerâs (Alabama Department of Transportation) opportunity to advertise the complete structure at the time of bidding. To date, the project is approximately 25% complete and projecting completion in early November 1997. Recent updates include: * Set and anchored 99 of 247 bulb tee beams (spans 14 thru 6 NB and 14 SB) * Cast 6 spans of diaphragm concrete in the northbound bridge (14 thru 9) * Installed three spans of stay-in-place forms and two spans of deck rebar by our Subcontractor, Chamoro Steel, Inc. (spans 14, 13, 12 NB) * Completed the first of three deck pours in span 14 of the NB structure. The successful demonstration allows each remaining simple span to be placed in a single continuous pour rather than three separate ones.
Work has just begun on the retrofit of the Vincent Thomas Bridge in the Los Angeles Harbor. Job offices and yard are fully set up and an excellent team has been assembled to start up this challenging project. Although this project is on the Caltrans "hot start" program with notice to proceed coming midnight the day of the award, the critical path of the 18 months of work runs through the procurement and installation of the 3,700,000 lbs of structural steel on the superstructure. As of this writing, the buyout of the steel package is well in hand and the only field activity behind us is the retrofit of the footings at Bent 16. By the first week in June, the concrete operations will be well underway starting inside the west abutment and moving east across the project. The first steel wonât arrive on the site until early August (when the real fun will begin). Crew sizes are expected to peak at approximately 60 men heading for a September 1998 completion.
U.S. 59 & I-10 to Christie Street, Houston, Texas
May 12, 1997, completed the fourth major traffic switch, shifting north and southbound mainlane traffic onto the existing northbound mainlane. This switch allowed Traylor Bros. to complete embankment, lime, and base, as well as start change order work for ramp Q. Columns were completed on May 12. Nineteen caps left to form and pour which will complete substructure work on all bridges. There are 106 trapezoidal beams left to place and six Type C girders. At present, there is approximately 166,400 sf of bridge deck area to complete. Precast retaining walls are 100% complete, except for the change order work on ramp Q. Lime and base operations are 80% complete. Traylor Bros. successfully completed bridge demo work over I-10 on the weekend of 05/03/97. Start of slip form paving is anticipated by the end of June. Anticipated job completion date of September 1997 has been changed to January 1998 due to the ramp Q change order.
Traylor Bros. Apparent Low Bidder
Traylor Bros. was apparent low bidder on the 17th Street Causeway Bridge, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The 17th Street Bridge consists of twin 210 ft double leaf bascule center spans with 70 ft high carina piers. The foundation construction will require four 40' x 55' cofferdams. Forty-eight inch diameter drilled shafts, averaging a depth of 77 ft. will be installed under piers for support. The 1550 ft. approaches will be segmental balanced cantilever.
The bridge and approaches will be constructed of architectural concrete with an extreme amount of merit given to form and beauty. Contract time as bid is 1,000 work days.