We've endured endless backups and detours because of the explosion at the Interstate 75/U.S. 301 interchange. At the same time, the bridge folks at FDOT District One in Bartow are enduring something of an even greater magnitude. Their job is to replace a major interstate bridge in six weeks - one that would normally take years to design and build.
The bridge wreck severed the primary north-south route in west-central Florida as well as a major hurricane evacuation route. Therefore, repairing the bridge expeditiously is of the highest priority as far as the state is concerned. With that in mind, the DOT designated the bridge a "disaster area." Hence, the state was able to free up the extra funds necessary to expedite this emergency repair job.
The question is, even with the emergency funding, how in the world can they build a new bridge so quickly?
One thing we do know is that similar events have occurred before. For example, in 1995 a trucking accident severely damaged an I-75 bridge in Sarasota County. Amazingly enough, the FDOT had the entire structure replaced in less than a month.
Still, the I-75 bridge over U.S. 301 is a much larger task. For one thing, the underpass roadway (U.S. 301) has much more traffic, which the DOT will have to work around while building the new bridge.
In order to speed up the process, the plans and specifications from the old bridge will be used to construct the new bridge. This alone saves an enormous amount of time. Plus, the DOT will be diverting engineering and construction personnel from other state projects.
The bridge repair will be done in phases. The first phase is the demolition of the existing structure, which is almost complete. Workers have been using cranes to demolish and replace the two damaged sections of the bridge, each of which is 100 feet long and weighs 685 tons.
The next phase is the construction of the new bridge in accordance with the old bridge plans. Large amounts of concrete and steel will be hauled to the jobsite in order to construct the bridge structure. The daily agenda will include driving piles, constructing bridge columns, erecting beams and building the roadway deck.
The task will require an enormous amount of engineering talent and construction manpower, all of which need to be mobilized in a very short period of time.
Based upon the DOT's history of emergency responses in situations such as this, I'm predicting they'll get this one done on time. Nevertheless, judgment day will arrive in six weeks. The clock is ticking. And the process has already begun.
Josh Robinson is the president of RGI Traffic Engineering in Tampa. His "King of the Road" column appears every Tuesday in the Herald. Send correspondence c/o Bradenton Herald, 102 Manatee Ave. W, Bradenton 34205.
KING OF THE ROAD
Josh Robinson x josh@robinsongrp.com
Read more on the tanker and possibilities for bridge repair, Page 1A.
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