Bridge engineering firm Modjeski and Masters has released a video detailing the replacement of the Henry G. Gilmerton Bridge in Chesapeake, Va. The video provides behind-the-scenes insight from the perspectives of the project team and stakeholders.
One of five critical bridges in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, the Gilmerton Bridge is an essential hub for more than one million vehicular and marine travelers each month. The original bascule span’s 11-ft clearance made it the most frequently opened bridge in Hampton Roads with 7,500 openings per year.
The bridge needed to be replaced to accommodate future growth in an area with increasing traffic. It is predicted the new vertical lift bridge – built using accelerated bridge construction methods – will reduce bridge openings by 40%.
The city and U.S. Coast Guard required the new bridge to be built on the exact same alignment due to the geometry of the river and close proximity of a nearby railroad bridge. The 335-ft long, 85-ft wide lift span was erected on falsework up river and floated in place early last year – an operation considered to be the “crown jewel” for a project that had been in development for nearly 15 years.
The final lift bridge used a total of 5,000 tons of structural steel and 650 tons of miscellaneous steel. Banker Steel (an AISC/NSBA member and AISC certified fabricator) was the steel fabricator for the project and WSP Mountain Enterprises, Inc. (an AISC member) was the steel detailer.
You can read more about the Gilmerton Bridge replacement project in the January 2013 issue of MSC.