Construction Value
vehicles daily
Construction Management Director:
Lee Yowell
The Project
RK&K, in a joint venture, provided comprehensive construction management, inspection, and support services for the new 1.9-mile bridge. The new bridge, which opened to traffic in October 2022, carries more than 18,000 vehicles daily.
The new bridge doubles the vehicle capacity, with four 12-foot-wide lanes with two-foot shoulders. Safety was improved with a barrier-separated median between the southbound and northbound lanes. Lane-shifting safety issues were also addressed by replacing toll booths with all-electronic tolling (AET). The span also will be able to accommodate tall vessels under its 135-foot clearance.
RK&K’s construction management services for the replacement bridge included roadways, pavement, grading, embankments, retaining walls, utility relocations, stormwater management, drainage, erosion and sediment controls, trestle/causeway and staging area construction, signing, markings, traffic barrier, geotechnical testing, IT and electrical systems, and the use of multiple barge-mounted cranes.
“Our inspection team worked side-by-side day and night with the contractor in very difficult conditions to make sure the completed bridge met the 100-year design life,” said Construction Management Director Lee Yowell, PE, CCM.
The bridge inspection team monitored the construction of precast concrete (piles/footings/pier caps) installations, cast-in-place (CIP) concrete for columns, abutments and superstructure bridge deck, parapet and approach slabs, and re-steel for all CIP concrete.
RK&K’s roadway inspection team monitored the embankment fill for the bridge approach including wire wall installation, installation of GAB and asphalt for the final roadway surface, and installation of pavement markings for the roadway.
Other project aspects included the inspection of all sign structure work including CIP structure concrete and re-steel, and the ITS/electrical elements.
The inspection team used an innovative GPS rover and survey model to verify construction grades accurately and efficiently even in a difficult marine inspection environment. RK&K also deployed drones to take high-resolution imagery photographs of the concrete substructure elements after they were completed. Combining those images together to create a 3D mesh image allowed inspectors and engineers to check for concrete surface deficiencies in a time-saving manner.
RK&K also utilized a new application called Binni to document and track concrete pours and concrete test results faster. With the app, inspectors were able to obtain copies of tickets wirelessly to avoid unnecessary contact between the drivers and inspectors, which was extremely important during the height of the COVID pandemic.
Our involvement with the project also included completing the NEPA documentation. Our responsibilities included environmental activities during the planning and preliminary engineering phases, including evaluation of effects on resources, impact on historic properties, and receiving community input
“We successfully navigated the complex environmental issues on both shores of the Potomac River, as well as the extensive agency coordination and negotiations that were required with local, state, and federal agencies,” said Project Delivery Leader Erron Ramsey, AICP.
Once demolished, materials from the original bridge, built in 1939, will be used to create an artificial reef.
RK&K, in a joint venture, provided comprehensive construction management, inspection, and support services for the new 1.9-mile bridge. The new bridge, which opened to traffic in October 2022, carries more than 18,000 vehicles daily.
The new bridge doubles the vehicle capacity, with four 12-foot-wide lanes with two-foot shoulders. Safety was improved with a barrier-separated median between the southbound and northbound lanes. Lane-shifting safety issues were also addressed by replacing toll booths with all-electronic tolling (AET). The span also will be able to accommodate tall vessels under its 135-foot clearance.
RK&K’s construction management services for the replacement bridge included roadways, pavement, grading, embankments, retaining walls, utility relocations, stormwater management, drainage, erosion and sediment controls, trestle/causeway and staging area construction, signing, markings, traffic barrier, geotechnical testing, IT and electrical systems, and the use of multiple barge-mounted cranes.
“Our inspection team worked side-by-side day and night with the contractor in very difficult conditions to make sure the completed bridge met the 100-year design life,” said Construction Management Director Lee Yowell, PE, CCM.
The bridge inspection team monitored the construction of precast concrete (piles/footings/pier caps) installations, cast-in-place (CIP) concrete for columns, abutments and superstructure bridge deck, parapet and approach slabs, and re-steel for all CIP concrete.
RK&K’s roadway inspection team monitored the embankment fill for the bridge approach including wire wall installation, installation of GAB and asphalt for the final roadway surface, and installation of pavement markings for the roadway.
Other project aspects included the inspection of all sign structure work including CIP structure concrete and re-steel, and the ITS/electrical elements.
The inspection team used an innovative GPS rover and survey model to verify construction grades accurately and efficiently even in a difficult marine inspection environment. RK&K also deployed drones to take high-resolution imagery photographs of the concrete substructure elements after they were completed. Combining those images together to create a 3D mesh image allowed inspectors and engineers to check for concrete surface deficiencies in a time-saving manner.
RK&K also utilized a new application called Binni to document and track concrete pours and concrete test results faster. With the app, inspectors were able to obtain copies of tickets wirelessly to avoid unnecessary contact between the drivers and inspectors, which was extremely important during the height of the COVID pandemic.
Our involvement with the project also included completing the NEPA documentation. Our responsibilities included environmental activities during the planning and preliminary engineering phases, including evaluation of effects on resources, impact on historic properties, and receiving community input
“We successfully navigated the complex environmental issues on both shores of the Potomac River, as well as the extensive agency coordination and negotiations that were required with local, state, and federal agencies,” said Project Delivery Leader Erron Ramsey, AICP.
Once demolished, materials from the original bridge, built in 1939, will be used to create an artificial reef.
Market
- State
