The first folded steel plate girder system (FSPGS) bridge in Pennsylvania was erected in McKean County near Bradford in less than three hours as part of an accelerated bridge construction (ABC) program that shaved as much as two weeks off of the delivery time. The bridge, known as JV 70, is part of Pennsylvania’s Rapid Bridge Replacement Project to replace 558 aging bridges throughout the state in just three years under a public-private partnership (P3) between PennDOT and Plenary Keystone Partners (PWKP). Two more FSPGS bridges are scheduled to be erected this year, with four more scheduled for 2017.
FSPGS bridges use cold-bent steel plates to form an innovative girder shape that provides strength with lighter weight. Concrete deck panels are precast and attached to the steel girders to form composite units that can be shipped and erected easily and quickly. CDR Bridge Systems, LLC (an AISC member) was the supplier of the FSPGS system for the JV 70 bridge, which was designed by its sister company, CDR Maguire, Inc.
Watch CDR’s two-minute video of the JV 70 bridge erection here. To learn more about the P3 Rapid Bridge Replacement project, visit http://parapidbridges.com.