Chenago St Arch Bridge Rehab | Binghamton, New York

Pre-cast Arch Bridge – Construction Support

Binghamton, New York

CONSTRUCTION ON PRE-CAST ARCH BRIDGE

In Binghamton, New York, I-81, consisting of eight lanes of traffic, crosses over Chenango Street on a precast arch bridge. The bridge’s construction was part of the first phase of the Prospect Mountain Construction Project that began in 2015. Since then, the bridge has shown signs of what the New York Department of Transportation Engineers calls the “uncharacteristic settlement” of I-81 above. Construction support for the arch bridge meant saving the original precast arch bridge.

NEW CONCRETE FOR ARCH BRIDGE

The NYDOT contracted with Slate Hill Constructors of Upstate New York to repair and reverse the settlement. Slate Hill Constructors specializes in the new and rehabilitation construction of public transportation and infrastructure. Their goal was to strengthen the bridge deck by casting a new concrete arch on the underside of the existing bridge.

NO TRAFFIC DISRUPTION DURING BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION

A significant challenge with the project was the requirement that the traffic on I-81 remains open and that no disruption would occur during the project’s duration. Slate Hill Constructors selected EFCO as their forming and shoring partner to provide them with the lowest in-place concrete solution.

CAST-IN-PLACE SHORING & FORMWORK SOLUTION

Treating the project much like the construction of a tunnel, Slate Hill Constructors required a concrete shoring and formwork solution. EFCO’s solution would enable them to pump high-pressure cast-in-place concrete into the formwork setup creating a new supportive ceiling to the underside of the arch bridge.

THE FORMWORK AND SHORING SOLUTION

The arch bridge forming and shoring solution would need to support a curved slab measuring 16’ long x 40’ wide x 16” (4.9 m long x 12.2 m wide x 400 mm) at the crest. The slab would then grow in thickness on each end as it reached the sidewalls of the arch bridge. The solution also needed to operate as a traveler and cycle efficiently through the 208 ft (63.4 m) long arch bridge.

TRAVELING FORMWORK

EFCO engineers solved this challenge using EFCO’s SUPER STUD® beams assembled into a modular traveler system. Adding jacks and wheels to the traveler made the system adjustable and mobile. Using SUPER STUDS as stringers, EFCO E–BEAMS® and contractor-supplied plywood completed the decking for the arched traveler.

The EFCO Solution – Why Choose Anyone Else?

EFCO’s solution enabled the Slate Hill Constructors’ crew of seven to cycle the traveler twice and place concrete three times in a two-week period. Fourteen concrete pours were required to complete the repair. EFCO’s solution enabled a small crew to maximize efficiency and lower costs by providing an all-in-one forming and shoring system strong enough to handle jobsite requirements while creating a simple and fast cycling procedure.