Wakota Bridge: Difference between revisions
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The discovery of hairline fractures by a third-party inspector delayed the west-bound span's opening by a year. The fractures were not believed to be a safety hazard, however it was thought that the degraded quality would diminish the expected 100-year effective life of the bridge by allowing salt and water to seep in. Investigation revealed that at the time the bridge was designed, there were no published standards for how much load the concrete components could support. Assumptions were made that turned out to be incorrect. The existing bridge was retrofitted by adding post-tensioned steel cables to transfer more of the load to the piers. The design firm took responsibility for the $14.8 million cost to fix the problem and redesigned the future eastbound span.<ref> {{cite web|last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= | date=Summer 2004|url=http://www.gobridges.com/article.asp?id=830 |title=GoBridges.com Wakota Bridge article |format= |work= |pages= |publisher= | language= |accessdate= 2007-04-09|accessyear= }}</ref>The new bridge was finshed and opened to traffic in the summer of 2006. All traffic was diverted to the new span, to allow for destruction of the old Wakota bridge and subsequent re-building of the east-bound span, but demolition had to wait until the end of the shipping season. The final result of all this was a delay in the project of a full year. |
The discovery of hairline fractures by a third-party inspector delayed the west-bound span's opening by a year. The fractures were not believed to be a safety hazard, however it was thought that the degraded quality would diminish the expected 100-year effective life of the bridge by allowing salt and water to seep in. Investigation revealed that at the time the bridge was designed, there were no published standards for how much load the concrete components could support. Assumptions were made that turned out to be incorrect. The existing bridge was retrofitted by adding post-tensioned steel cables to transfer more of the load to the piers. The design firm took responsibility for the $14.8 million cost to fix the problem and redesigned the future eastbound span.<ref> {{cite web|last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= | date=Summer 2004|url=http://www.gobridges.com/article.asp?id=830 |title=GoBridges.com Wakota Bridge article |format= |work= |pages= |publisher= | language= |accessdate= 2007-04-09|accessyear= }}</ref>The new bridge was finshed and opened to traffic in the summer of 2006. All traffic was diverted to the new span, to allow for destruction of the old Wakota bridge and subsequent re-building of the east-bound span, but demolition had to wait until the end of the shipping season. The final result of all this was a delay in the project of a full year. |
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On [[December 29]], [[2006]] the Lunda Construction Company was discharged from its contract to complete the new eastbound span, due to disagreements between the company and [[Mn/DOT]] about |
On [[December 29]], [[2006]] the Lunda Construction Company was discharged from its contract to complete the new eastbound span, due to disagreements between the company and [[Mn/DOT]] about delays and cost overuns. Mn/DOT anounced the eastbound span would be repackaged and rebid. Expected completion of the spans and related work on shore, including an enhanced interchange with [[U.S. Highway 61]], is now planned for 2009.<ref>{{cite web| title = Major southeast metro bridge project delayed again| publisher = Minnesota Public Radio| date = 2006-12-29| url = http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/12/29/wakotabridgedelay/| accessdate = 2007-01-09}}</ref> |
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==The old Wakota Bridge== |
==The old Wakota Bridge== |
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Revision as of 01:48, 10 April 2007
Template:Bridge under construction
Wakota Bridge | |
|---|---|
 The new westbound Wakota Bridge, looking northeast. Demolition activities on the old Wakota Bridge can be seen. | |
| Coordinates | 44°52′59″N 93°00′54″W / 44.88306°N 93.01500°W |
| Carries | Current bridge: Six lanes of Interstate 494; Final build: Five lanes in each direction |
| Crosses | Mississippi River |
| Locale | South St. Paul, Minnesota-Newport, Minnesota |
| Maintained by | Minnesota Department of Transportation |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | segmental bridge |
| Total length | 1889 feet |
| Longest span | 466 feet |
| Clearance below | 64 feet |
| History | |
| Opened | 2006 |
| Location | |
 | |
The Wakota Bridge is being re-built to carry Interstate 494 between South St. Paul and Newport, Minnesota across the Mississippi River, replacing a four-lane span built in 1959. The name was given to the previous span in the early 1960s, and is derived from the two counties it connects, Washington and Dakota. Lunda Construction Company had won the bid to build a new 5-lane west-bound span, remove the existing bridge, and build a new 5 lane east-bound span, all to be completed in 2007 for $250 million.
Construction difficulties
The discovery of hairline fractures by a third-party inspector delayed the west-bound span's opening by a year. The fractures were not believed to be a safety hazard, however it was thought that the degraded quality would diminish the expected 100-year effective life of the bridge by allowing salt and water to seep in. Investigation revealed that at the time the bridge was designed, there were no published standards for how much load the concrete components could support. Assumptions were made that turned out to be incorrect. The existing bridge was retrofitted by adding post-tensioned steel cables to transfer more of the load to the piers. The design firm took responsibility for the $14.8 million cost to fix the problem and redesigned the future eastbound span.[1]The new bridge was finshed and opened to traffic in the summer of 2006. All traffic was diverted to the new span, to allow for destruction of the old Wakota bridge and subsequent re-building of the east-bound span, but demolition had to wait until the end of the shipping season. The final result of all this was a delay in the project of a full year.
On December 29, 2006 the Lunda Construction Company was discharged from its contract to complete the new eastbound span, due to disagreements between the company and Mn/DOT about delays and cost overuns. Mn/DOT anounced the eastbound span would be repackaged and rebid. Expected completion of the spans and related work on shore, including an enhanced interchange with U.S. Highway 61, is now planned for 2009.[2]
The old Wakota Bridge
The previous bridge at this location was the first of only three major tied arch bridges to be constructed in Minnesota (the others were Cedar Avenue Bridge and the Bong Bridge, both built in the early 1980s.) The old Wakota Bridge was built as one of the first segments of Interstate 494. With two lanes in each direction, it was likely designed as a part of the Minnesota State Highway 100 beltline around the Twin Cities, and did not meet interstate highway standards. The lack of a third lane or shoulders on the bridge, as well as a lack of acceleration lanes from entrances on either side of the bridge, created traffic bottlenecks exacerbated by heavy truck traffic on the ramps leading to the bridge. The old bridge was dismantled in the fall of 2006 in order to make way for the future eastbound bridge. Temporary piers were built, then the old bridge was cut into managable pieces which were lowered to waiting barges and hauled away.
See also
References
- Charles Laszewski (December 2, 2005). Repairs delay I-494 bridge opening. St. Paul Pioneer Press.
- Interstate 494 in Minnesota at steve-riner.com
- "Segments, Summer 2004" (pdf). American Segmental Bridge Institute. Summer 2004. Retrieved 2006-05-20.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|accessyear=and|coauthors=(help) - "Frequently Asked Questions". I-494/Highway 61 Wakota Bridge. Minnesota Department of Transportation. May 2006. Retrieved 2006-05-20.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|accessyear=and|coauthors=(help) - Costello, Mary Charlotte (2002). Climbing the Mississippi River Bridge by Bridge, Volume Two: Minnesota. Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications. ISBN 0-9644518-2-4.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - "GoBridges.com Wakota Bridge article". Retrieved 2007-04-09.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|accessyear=and|coauthors=(help)
External links
Bridges of the Mississippi River | ||||
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- ^ "GoBridges.com Wakota Bridge article". Summer 2004. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|accessyear=and|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Major southeast metro bridge project delayed again". Minnesota Public Radio. 2006-12-29. Retrieved 2007-01-09.