Location

Chicago, Illinois

Date

01 May 2013, 5:15 pm - 6:45 pm

Abstract

This paper will discuss the geotechnical aspects of foundation design, construction support, and the team work necessary to replace and upgrade 14 bridges along an existing, trafficked rail line through Central Illinois. Seven bridges were constructed using previously completed designs and seven bridges were constructed using a multi-disciplinary design-build approach. The geotechnical team provided construction support for the Phase I bridges while concurrently conducting geotechnical investigations and developing design criteria for the Phase II bridges. The project also involved many logistical considerations including minimizing bridge “out of service time” to less than ten hours for the construction of each bridge, a very tight design and construction schedule, and challenging soil conditions. The geotechnical engineering tasks associated with each Phase II bridge included: conducting subsurface investigations; performing deep foundation analyses and developing site specific design criteria; and supporting preparation of the foundation design drawings, specifications, and estimated material quantities. Design development was an iterative teamwork exercise involving the geotechnical, structural, and hydraulic engineers working jointly with the construction team. As the hydraulic and structural analyses progressed, the input parameters for the foundation design changed requiring modifications to the geotechnical design. The design process was also influenced by construction observations during Phase I of the project. These observations provided valuable installation data for the geotechnical design to provide a more cost effective and efficient design for the Phase II bridges.

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Meeting Name

7th Conference of the International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Publisher

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Document Version

Final Version

Rights

© 2013 Missouri University of Science and Technology, All rights reserved.

Creative Commons Licensing

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Document Type

Article - Conference proceedings

File Type

text

Language

English

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Apr 29th, 12:00 AM May 4th, 12:00 AM

CSX Railroad Bridge Replacements

Chicago, Illinois

This paper will discuss the geotechnical aspects of foundation design, construction support, and the team work necessary to replace and upgrade 14 bridges along an existing, trafficked rail line through Central Illinois. Seven bridges were constructed using previously completed designs and seven bridges were constructed using a multi-disciplinary design-build approach. The geotechnical team provided construction support for the Phase I bridges while concurrently conducting geotechnical investigations and developing design criteria for the Phase II bridges. The project also involved many logistical considerations including minimizing bridge “out of service time” to less than ten hours for the construction of each bridge, a very tight design and construction schedule, and challenging soil conditions. The geotechnical engineering tasks associated with each Phase II bridge included: conducting subsurface investigations; performing deep foundation analyses and developing site specific design criteria; and supporting preparation of the foundation design drawings, specifications, and estimated material quantities. Design development was an iterative teamwork exercise involving the geotechnical, structural, and hydraulic engineers working jointly with the construction team. As the hydraulic and structural analyses progressed, the input parameters for the foundation design changed requiring modifications to the geotechnical design. The design process was also influenced by construction observations during Phase I of the project. These observations provided valuable installation data for the geotechnical design to provide a more cost effective and efficient design for the Phase II bridges.