Cracks smaller than .004 inches One thing worth noting: Upon the opening of this bridge to traffic, it served a triple concurrency of I-75/U.S. back to a major construction accident while bridge was not yet half completed Were talking about, of course, the Zilwaukee Bridge. This high-level, segmental concrete bridge spanning the Saginaw River is said to be the perfect example on how not to build a bridge. It stands on its own steel legs This technology has gained rapid acceptance and has spread to other countries. Of High pressure injection To ease the commute along this route, a bridge was constructed over the Saginaw River. It took a decade to complete and was so plagued with problems it came very close to not opening at all. The device is 940 feet long and can easily bridge across the longest Several ideas were proposed, including tunneling under the river, but eventually they decided on a box-and-girder, concrete segmental bridge that would simply be elevated high enough for ships to pass underneath. The Zilwaukee Bridge has some impressive specifications. There have been some issues with ongoing maintenance projects through the years. The tractor and trailer combined weigh 102 tons. As a child, watching the bridge open and close was pretty cool, but when you're an adult, running late for work and stuck in traffic, the magic is kind of lost. The agency's Bay Region spokeswoman Anita Richardson said MDOT will follow the recommendations of an independent report on the mishap to make sure construction mistakes dont occur in the future on the Zilwaukee Bridge or on other Bay Region road work. Adding insult to injury, the contractor discovered that more than 30 of the new bearings weren't properly designed and would not fit where they were to be installed. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. new eastern bypass of Saginaw for through US-23 traffic, The last one was cast in late 1986. In April 2008, work crews replacing bridge bearings unexpectedly drilled into several reinforcing steel bars in the bridge. Read about the Zilwaukee Bridge collapse in 1982 and its reconstruction. 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Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. The newly developed concept of interstate highways changed the way that people moved around and brought more commuters through the region on their way from Detroit to the Upper and Lower Peninsula-connecting Mackinac Bridge. On Tuesday, September 22, 1987 the final 117-ton piece SAGINAW, Mich. Friday marks 35 years since the Michigan Department of Transportation opened the Zilwaukee Bridge. Cables in the bridge run through galvanized steel ducts that have been The state spent $120 million to build the bridge but design problems and long delays left everyone uncertain it would ever get used. and then locked in place with tapered steel wedges, a process called post-tensioning. In 1960, the first of an epoxy resin makes the repaired area stronger than the concrete was When the bridge opened for river traffic, it sometimes caused miles-long traffic jams, especially during heavy travel days around the holidays and the start of firearms deer hunting season. The dramatic failure of the Zilwaukee Bridge was successfully repaired by the State of Michigan in 1983. These bearings do require extensive maintenance and replacement, as they see more wear and tear than typical construction elements might. The Mackinac Bridge opened in 1957. The total cost of the bridge project was around $127 million, with the federal funds paying for 90 percent of it, according to MDOT records. can be pulled from either end. The mile-and-a-half long bridge replaces The present structure was designed to relieve traffic congestion along the freeway crossing it, resulting from repeated openings of the draw span for lake freighter traffic serving industrial sites along the river. We lifted and tilted and jacked it into place. and constructed is a post-tensioned, segmental, box girder bridge and work The first two of those still serve this route across the current Zilwaukee Bridge today, but U.S. 10 was scaled back to end . has progressed down the bridge, all the ducts in the completed span are [3] The Zilwaukee Bridge is approximately 8,000 feet (2,400m) in length and rises 125 feet (38m) at its highest point.[1][2]. (MDOT/Michigan Highways). Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. Concrete stringer bridge over Saginaw River on Interstate 75/U.S. When two adjacent I say we go back to these days and watch the boats go by: 91.7 Ann Arbor/Detroit 104.1 Grand Rapids The construction of the structure was plagued with difficulties: when it was approximately half-complete, a major construction accident halted all work in August 1982. originally and prevents water seepage. He enjoys suffering through Lions games on Sundays in the fall. This helps to ensure that the bridge could withstand about twice as much weight as is predicted during peak traffic hours. My concern is (if) there are other examples out there of marked drawings that are incomplete. the crossing would cause more problems then it solved. Support MLive.com. auto transporter trucks weighing 40 tons each. Traffic: Estimated 21,600,000 vehicles per year. In 1979, with its Joint Venture partner Stevin Construction, Toebe won the contract to construct the Zilwaukee Bridge near Saginaw, Michigan. The current bridge replaced a smaller, bascule bridge (drawbridge) that was built in 1960. A pier footing cracked, presumably due to resulting stress. MDOT spokesman William L. Shreck said old construction plans are not a new issue, but the problem with the Zilwaukee Bridge was. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. If not replaced, the normal shifting movements of the bridge would cause additional damage, thus reducing its lifespan. Originally, the bridge seemed like a big improvement, but it ran into problems rather quickly. For precast segments, each individual piece is cast against its ultimate Each segment is manufactured with 10,000 pounds of reinforcing steel inside. Copyright 2022 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. On August 28, the temporary compression blocks started to crush, and a 300-foot-long bridge section sagged five feet on one end and three-and-a-half feet at the other. group to create a solid unit, six segments long. I am requesting a rigorous examination of the lane traffic and am seeking alternative plans that might help keep two-way traffic open during the construction process.. The largest segments To use information contained on this site is to do so at your own risk. Its also one of Michigans most storied. The bridge operator continued to staff the bridge until it was According to MDOT records, other proposals included barring river traffic, relocating the freeway and digging a tunnel under the river. We need to make sure that we have good agreements with partner about how our bidding changes when the opponents come into the auction. MDOT has concluded no one was at fault and blamed three-decade-old as built drawings that didnt show where the steel was located as the problem. In the 1980's, Toebe completed a number of large . The bridge also features a massive tie-down block that spans 57 x 46 x 5-1/2 feet and weighs about 1,100 tons. However, the bridge caused long traffic jams whenever it opened, so local officials commissioned an alternative. When we open 1-Major and show a hand with a long suit, the opponents often find a way to get in the way. Posted July 9, 2019, by Melissa Brand-Welch, National Bridge Inventory 2021: (Nearby Bridges), Bridgehunter.com: Historic Bridges of the United States, http://bridgehunter.com/mi/saginaw/saginaw-river/, July 9, 2019: New photo from Melissa Brand-Welch, November 13, 2018: New photo from Douglas Butler, October 6, 2018: New photos from Douglas Butler, August 6, 2014: New Street View added by Douglas Butler. the span for more than a year. With the implementation of Interstate Highway System, developed by the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration, the two-lane highway was incorporated into the new highway which ran from Detroit to the Mackinac Bridge. Deck width: 74.0 ft. Also called I-75 Saginaw River Bridge Approximate latitude, longitude +43.48232, -83.91243 (decimal degrees) The original bridge routed traffic through the small city of Saginaw. fabrication of the segments. The total launching girder apparatus weighs He has a BA in Philosophy from UC Santa Barbara, and an MA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from CEVRO Institute, Prague, Czech Republic. The four-lane, bascule bridge (or drawbridge) opened in 1960. which are hollow and usually rectangular in shape. site. The The incident in August 1982 was caused by a large amount of mispositioned weight during the installation of a segment between two piers, according to MDOT. The issue of one-way traffic is of great concern to local businesses and local government, he wrote in the letter to Steudle. A track-mounted crane atop the launching mate on the structure, a process called "match-casting." Only one side of the bridge is open at a time, and traffic is shifted on Tuesday and Saturday, based on peak times. 23 chapters | concrete segment onto the bridge, is the equivalent of 49 fully-loaded In an August 22, 1989 article, The and can roll across these legs when necessary to move to a new position I-675 was built, in part, to help traffic bypass the original drawbridge while the current high-level Zilwaukee Bridge was being proposed and constructed, in addition to providing better access into and through downtown Saginaw. $77 million (not counting approaches and ramp work). To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. And they did this to try and trick new settlers, like immigrants, into thinking it was actually Milwaukee. At the time, the project was the largest pre-cast concrete segmental bridge in the United States, and the largest project the MDOT had ever undertaken. 13. computer-aided design drawings for projects built since the mid-1990s. In this installment, MDOT. If youd like to read more in depth about the history of the Zilwaukee Bridge, check out this A-to-Z guide from Michigan Highways. But the state has about half a dozen spans, such as the Blue Water, Zug Island and Mackinac bridges, where it could apply lessons learned from the Zilwaukee Bridge mishap, he said. However, construction ground to a halt in 1982 when a significant accident paralyzed work. Most roads are bridges are simple structures, he said. polychorinated biphenyl will cost at least $100,000 and could delay completion The The mighty Mackinac Bridge is Michigans signature bridge, with its own rich history. A 69 News crew is at the scene of this developing story. While a decommissioning of the Zilwaukee bridge is a long way off, the bridge's lifespan is probably in the ballpark of 80 to 100 years, said Gregg Brunner, associate region engineer with the Michigan Department of Transportation. 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