Modular Steel Bridge Maintains Traffic During Bridge Replacement

The following article was provided by Acrow.

Acrow, a leading international bridge engineering and supply company, announced today one of its modular steel bridges was recently used to carry traffic during a project to replace an aging bridge near Croydon, Utah. The project was originally expected to have a short duration with minimal traffic impacts, however, a variety of challenges led to the decision to install a temporary solution for the most successful outcome.

Purpose of the Project

Located on County Road 1980 just off Interstate 84, the 1930s-vintage bridge spanning the Weber River had reached the end of its service life and was scheduled for replacement by the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT). In addition to carrying local traffic, the bridge is heavily trafficked by trucks from an adjacent cement plant. To accommodate these heavy-duty commercial vehicles, the proposed precast concrete replacement bridge was designed to have wider shoulders and improved sight distance. In addition, the design of the new structure included improvements to mitigate river water overflowing onto the bridge deck.

Construction Phase

The demolition and reconstruction work on the project began in November 2022, with traffic (including the off-season volume of cement trucks) detoured around the job site on local roads. By February 2023, however, it was announced construction was behind schedule owing to unforeseen challenges, and the bridge would not open as planned. In addition, the snowpack across the state was on track to break a 40-year record. It was anticipated that as the season wound down, the melting snow would result in higher-than-expected water flows in the river, which would lead to further project delays.

UDOT and project contractor Wadsworth Brothers Construction determined that the precast concrete replacement bridge could not be opened in time to meet the summer demands of the cement plant, which would return to full capacity of 100 or more trucks per day on April 1.

Keeping the detour route in place much longer was not possible; the weight of the trucks had significantly damaged the frozen road and after the first thaws, the damage was becoming increasingly severe. However, maintaining operations at the cement plant was critical, as the facility is the only one of its kind in the northern part of the state, and supplies markets in Wyoming and Idaho as well as Utah.

To get the project back on track, the contractor proposed a modular steel bridge from Acrow be installed and used for the summer through much of the fall of 2023, during which time the replacement project would be paused.

Acrow Bridge Solution

Acrow’s single-span 700XS® solution was rented to the contractor.

The bridge specifications were as follow:

• 120-feet long
• Had a curb-to-curb width of 30 feet to allow two lanes of traffic
• Designed to AASHTO HL-93 loading
• Deck units had anti-skid epoxy coatings

The project posed several challenges, including transporting components to the site over the damaged, narrow roads. Once at the site, which was located between two sets of active railroad tracks, great care and coordination was needed to ensure safe construction so close to the tracks. Despite these complications, the bridge was safely installed with a crane-assisted launch and opened to traffic in July. The structure provided a reliable, safe route for traffic until it was de-launched in early November, at which point crews immediately recommenced work on the permanent structure, which opened in January 2024.

“Despite the most meticulous planning, project timelines can go awry,” said Eugene Sobecki, Acrow’s Director National Sales & Military Business Development. “Acrow’s modular steel rental solutions are an ideal choice for any bridge rehabilitation or replacement project that needs to stay on schedule and within budget.”

For more information about Acrow’s detour solutions please click here.