Emergency redecking of suspended spans, rehabilitation of 200 floor beams. Design, traffic maintenance, resident engineering, construction management. Fast track, design-build.

Weidlinger Associates devised a unique design of grid deck splices for this fast-track design-build project, with its one-year construction schedule. Weidlinger also provided construction staging, maintenance and protection of traffic, and construction support and inspection services. The bridge deck covers 210,000 square feet, including 70,000 feet of stringers. Deck weight was a major problem, as any significant increase in weight could have reduced the capacity of the other structural components. The grid deck of high-strength lightweight pre-cast and cured concrete was delivered to the bridge with stringers attached, ready for installation. Weidlinger designed the grid deck for AASHTO H-20 live loading and 500,000 fatigue cycles. The design for longitudinal and transverse joints met or exceeded the loading criteria. The life span exceeds the 50-year requirement.

The deck replacement took place between 11:00 PM and 6:00 AM over 125 nights. Work began on the Manhattan-bound side at the center of the suspended span, with traffic detoured to the Manhattan Bridge. Traffic was then directed to the Manhattan-bound roadways during replacement of the Brooklyn-bound deck. Lane closings and shifting of traffic were accomplished with the assistance of approximately 30 city traffic agents. Weidlinger's work included the plans for the detour of traffic and appropriate signage.

Weidlinger's design helped the contractor avoid NYCDOT penalties for not opening the roadways on time in the morning. Indeed, the contractor did not once fail to open the roadway on time, and the NYCDOT never had to close the bridge for the deck replacement operations.

Completion Date: 2000
Location: New York, New York
Owner or Client: NYC Department of Transportation
Prime Consultant(s): WAI Prime; Yonkers Contracting Company