Design
Elmhurst Bridge Design & Maintaining Traffic for 10 Bridges over I-96
Detroit, MI
HH Engineering Ltd. was part of the Williams & Works team selected by the Michigan Department of Transportation to prepare plans for the I-96 bridge project in Metro Detroit. The overall project included eight deck replacements, one thin overlay and one deck patching. Other elements of the bridge design included substructure repair, painting, pin and hanger repairs, joint replacements, pier replacements and approach work.
HH Engineering Ltd’s role on the project was to prepare plans for the Elmhurst Avenue over I-96 deck replacement as well as to prepare Maintaining Traffic plans required to construct all 10 structures and their associated approach work.
The approach work included the removal of the existing composite pavement and concrete reconstruction of the approaches. The existing concrete curb and sidewalks adjacent to the approach slabs will be reconstructed and ADA ramps will also be installed along with fencing in many locations.
Elmhurst was originally constructed in 1970 +/-. It is a 2 span A588 steel I-Beam structure, with 37’-0” clear roadway carrying one lane of traffic in each direction with 10’-0” sidewalks on each side of the structure. The bridge has a total length of 155’-0” and an out to out width of 59’-6”. Bridge work consists of complete deck replacement, pin and hanger replacement, diaphragm replacement at specific locations, painting, partial pier replacement and substructure repairs, and pedestrian fencing.
Maintenance of traffic plans will be prepared for both above and below the structures. The local traffic above will be maintained part width on both the Grand River Ave and Livernois Ave structures over I-96. The remaining structures will be closed and detoured. Because of the extensive approach work on some of the structures, maintaining traffic plans were also required to stage the construction of the approaches through the I-96 east and west service drives.
Maintaining traffic requirements dictate that one lane of traffic in each direction be maintained at all times on I-96, except when removing the existing decks. The deck removals will be completed by full closure and detour of I-96. Single lane and shoulder closures will be utilized to complete the substructure repairs and pier reconstructions. Partial closures of I-96 will be used at night to paint the structures.
Baldwin Street over Rush Creek & WWTP Driveway over Rush Creek
Kent & Ottawa Counties, Michigan
HH Engineering Ltd. was part of the Williams & Works team selected by the Michigan Department of Transportation to prepare plans for the I-96 bridge project in Metro Detroit. The overall project included eight deck replacements, one thin overlay and one deck patching. Other elements of the bridge design included substructure repair, painting, pin and hanger repairs, joint replacements, pier replacements and approach work.
HH Engineering Ltd’s role on the project was to prepare plans for the Elmhurst Avenue over I-96 deck replacement as well as to prepare Maintaining Traffic plans required to construct all 10 structures and their associated approach work.
The approach work included the removal of the existing composite pavement and concrete reconstruction of the approaches. The existing concrete curb and sidewalks adjacent to the approach slabs will be reconstructed and ADA ramps will also be installed along with fencing in many locations.
Elmhurst was originally constructed in 1970 +/-. It is a 2 span A588 steel I-Beam structure, with 37’-0” clear roadway carrying one lane of traffic in each direction with 10’-0” sidewalks on each side of the structure. The bridge has a total length of 155’-0” and an out to out width of 59’-6”. Bridge work consists of complete deck replacement, pin and hanger replacement, diaphragm replacement at specific locations, painting, partial pier replacement and substructure repairs, and pedestrian fencing.
Maintenance of traffic plans will be prepared for both above and below the structures. The local traffic above will be maintained part width on both the Grand River Ave and Livernois Ave structures over I-96. The remaining structures will be closed and detoured. Because of the extensive approach work on some of the structures, maintaining traffic plans were also required to stage the construction of the approaches through the I-96 east and west service drives.
Maintaining traffic requirements dictate that one lane of traffic in each direction be maintained at all times on I-96, except when removing the existing decks. The deck removals will be completed by full closure and detour of I-96. Single lane and shoulder closures will be utilized to complete the substructure repairs and pier reconstructions. Partial closures of I-96 will be used at night to paint the structures.
Michigan Street over Division Ave/US-131 Business Route – Bridge Design
Grand Rapids, Michigan
HH Engineering was part of the Alfred Benesch & Company team retained by the Michigan Department of Transportation to design and prepare construction documents for the replacement of the Michigan Street Bridge, located in the City of Grand Rapids. The bridge is being replaced and lengthened to allow for widening of Division Avenue below the bridge and is also being widened from four lanes to six lanes on the bridge. The additional lanes will match the approaches being designed by Alfred Benesch & Company, and accommodate dedicated bus lanes.
Adjacent to one end of the bridge is an intersection that includes an entrance ramp to I-196 and the other end of the bridge is adjacent to a high-rise structure that is being built concurrent with the bridge replacement. The bridge is on a steep grade, known as the Michigan Street Hill, which prohibited changes in the profile. With the increased span length of 89 feet, the structure depth was kept to a minimum by utilizing steel plate girders at 6 foot spacing. Steel girders were required to accommodate numerous utilities, including electrical, communications and telephone lines, within the structure. The bridge is being replaced in stages to accommodate the transfer of some of the utility lines from one side of the bridge to the other and to maintain traffic on the bridge. Staging was also designed to accommodate the relocation of deep sewer lines under the street.
As a highly visible structure in an expanding area of high profile buildings within the City of Grand Rapids, a series of meetings were held with residents, affected businesses and MDOT and City staff to receive input from Stakeholders on staging requirements, pedestrian access and aesthetic treatments for the bridge.
Rehabilitation of 22 Bridges – Grand Region
Kent, Ottawa, Oceana & Mecosta Counties, Michigan
HH Engineering was retained by the Michigan Department of Transportation to design and prepare construction documents for the rehabilitation of twenty two bridges, located in four different counties in the Grand Region.
All of the bridges are steel beams structures with pin and hanger connections that needed to be replaced. The work on the structures included design and plan preparation for temporary supports for pin and hanger replacements, deck patching, painting and substructure repairs. In addition, deck overlays were designed for two of the bridges.
The bridges were combined into eight groups of one to five bridges for preparation of bid documents. Bid documents including specifications and details for the maintenance of traffic, both above and below the structures. Traffic is to be maintained either by detouring or with part width construction. Part width construction in some cases requires the use of temporary traffic signals. Temporary support systems for the pin and hanger replacements were designed for either support from below or to be suspended from above, depending on the configuration of the hanger or the impacts on maintaining traffic.
Sibley Road over I-75 – Metro Region
Wayne County, Michigan
HH Engineering was retained by the Michigan Department of Transportation to design and prepare construction documents for the replacement of the Sibley Road Bridge over I-75, located in Brownstown Township, Wayne County. The bridge is being replaced and lengthened to allow for future widening of I-75 below the bridge. The bridge is also being widened from two lanes to five lanes, to match the east approach and future widening of the west approach.
The existing bridge over I-75 was a four span steel beam structure, 34’-11” wide and 197’-6” long, constructed of rolled steel I-beams. Span lengths ranged from 33’-3” to 65’-6”. To accommodate future widening of I-75 the span length was increased and the end piers eliminated. The new bridge over I-75 is 2 spans each of 100’-0” with a width of 83’-3”, constructed of 36” steel plate girders. With the increased span length of 100 feet, the structure depth was kept to a minimum utilizing steel plate girders and continuous beam design. Integral abutments on pile supports were utilized along with Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) retaining walls. The bridge will be replaced in stages to maintain traffic on the bridge for both emergency and heavy industrial vehicles.
HH Engineering Ltd also prepared the approach plans for the roadway. The bridge is located within an interchange with two ramp terminals. Traffic Engineering Associates prepared a traffic study, as a Subconsultant to HH Engineering Ltd., to determine the required number of lanes on the bridge and ramps for forecasted traffic volumes.
M-153/Ford Road over Fellows Creek
Canton Township, Michigan
HH Engineering Ltd. was retained by the Michigan Department of Transportation to design and prepare construction documents for the structural design for the M-153 bridge over Fellows Creek in Canton, Michigan. Bridge replacement work included removing the entire existing structure constructing a new structure. The new structure is comprised of pile supported curtain wall abutments and a 17” deep x 36” wide side-by-side box beam superstructure. It is 5 lanes with shoulders and sidewalks for a total width of 103’-6” (min). In addition to the bridge reconstruction, the M-153 approaches were also reconstructed. Roadwork included portions of total approach pavement reconstruction, pavement resurfacing, shoulder reconstruction and retail driveway reconstruction. Other responsibilities included HEC 2 analysis and hydraulic report preparation along with MDEQ permit application preparation.
I-75 Bridges, Carpenter Road to M-102/Eight Mile Road
Detroit, Michigan
HH Engineering was part of the Wilcox Associates design team retained by the Michigan Department of Transportation to prepare construction documents for the rehabilitation of four structures over I-75, between Carpenter Road and M-102 (Eight Mile Road).
HH Engineering was assigned the following structures:
- I-75 Under Lantz Walkover. The existing structure was a two span structure with two W33 steel beams and a width of 9’-0”. New work consisted of the replacement of the superstructure plus modifications to the substructure units and approach ramps. The new structure consists of two new W33 steel beams and new deck grading and pedestrian fencing. Spans are 84’-1” and 85’-11”, with a width of 9’-0”. The modified ramps are 125’-6” lg and 97’-3” lg with a width of 10’-0”. Construction Cost Estimate: $ 196,000.00
- I-75 Under 7 Mile Road. The existing structure was a four span structure with 10 W36 steel beams and a width of 70’-5”. New work included the replacement of the existing deck, sidewalks, bridge railing and fencing, pin and hanger, expansion joints, and replacement of Pier 2 cap and columns. The new bridge width is 70’-5” and spans of 34’-9”, 75’-3”, 75’-3” and 34’-9”. Construction Cost Estimate: $ 1,251,300.00
- I-75 Under 7 Mile Road, SB and NB Left Turn Structures. The existing structures were both four span constructed of four W36 steel beams and a minimum width of 23’-5”. New work included the complete superstructure replacements, modification of abutments, and pier cap and column replacements. Both new bridge widths are a minimum of 24’-0 ½ “ with four new 33” deep spread concrete box beams and spans of 33’-0”, 75’-2”, 75’-2” and 33’-0”. Construction Cost Estimate: $ 1,033,600.00
Sprinkle Road Bridges, Bridge & Approach Design
Kalamazoo, Michigan
HH Engineering Ltd. was fortunate to be selected by the Kalamazoo County Road Commission to prepare plans for the rehabilitation of three bridges along Sprinkle Road between Comstock and East Michigan Avenue in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The bridges and their scopes included:
- Sprinkle Road over the Kalamazoo River. The existing structure was 19.76 m (64’-10”) wide, five span concrete structure constructed of 21 685 mm (27”) beams. Work included complete superstructure replacement and complete pier and abutment replacement. The new bridge is four spans 24.38 m (80’) long. It is 24.90 m (81’-8”) wide, constructed of 26 side by side 840 mm (33”) deep concrete box beams. Construction Cost Estimate: $ 2,155,000.00
- Sprinkle Road over the Norfolk Southern Railroad. The existing structure was 19.76 m (64’-10”) wide, three span concrete structure constructed of 21 685 mm (27”) beams. Work included complete superstructure replacement, widening and rehabilitation of substructure units. The new bridge is spans of 14.94 m (49’), 17.37 m (57’) and 18.90 m (62’). It is 24.90 m (81’-8”) wide constructed of 26 side by side 685 mm (27”) deep concrete box beams. Construction Cost Estimate: $ 1,425,000.00
- Sprinkle Road over M-96. The existing structure was 19.76 m (64’-10”) wide, three span concrete structure constructed of 21 685 mm (27”) beams. Work included complete superstructure replacement, widening and rehabilitation of substructure units. The new bridge is spans of 8.83 m (29’), 14.93 m (49’) and 12.18 m (40’). It is 24.90 m (81’-8”) wide constructed of 26 side by side 535 mm (21”) deep concrete box beams. Construction Cost Estimate: $ 1,275,000.00