Government Technology - November 2007 - (Page 44)

transportation j j Synopsis: Advanced technology and careful planning let agency retrofit critical span in 70 hours. state local federal Bridge Bustle T he San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is a vital artery for Northern California commuters, carrying nearly 300,000 vehicles per day. So closing the span for seismic upgrades presented state transportation officials with perhaps the ultimate high-profile and high-pressure project. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), in conjunction with a team of private contractors, devised a plan to demolish a 350-foot stretch of roadway and slide a new, seismically strengthened piece of road in its place using a series of computer-controlled hydraulic jacks. The work needed to be done entirely over the three-day Labor Day weekend, with the bridge returning to service in time for commuters to return to work on Tuesday morning. Following a carefully choreographed process, Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol closed the bridge at 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 31. Work was completed by 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 3 — 11 hours ahead of schedule. “We’re tremendously proud to be able to open the bridge early,” said Caltrans Director Will Kempton, in a statement released after Bay Agency: California Department of Transportation. Technologies: Computer-controlled hydraulics, electronic traffic-condition signs, Internet. Contact: Bart Ney, 510/286-7165. Improving a vital California gateway in one busy weekend. “No matter how much you do, you never know whether you’re going to reach everybody. Even if you do, you don’t know whether they’re going to listen.” Bart Ney, spokesman, Caltrans B Y TA M A R A W A R TA | S T A F F W R I T E R the project’s completion. Besides replacing the roadway, located on what’s known as the Yerba Buena portion of the bridge, the project included installation of improved signs, alerts and electronic toll collection booths. The entire procedure cost around $40 million and is only phase one in a handful of planned improvement initiatives. All-Star Team Caltrans worked with C.C. Myers, a Sacramento, Calif.-based construction firm, which in turn hired several subcontractors to help with the planning and demolition stages of NOV_07 the weekend project. Mammoet, a Dutch firm specializing in heavy lifting projects, devised the method for sliding a new, preconstructed section of road into the cleared out portion of highway. The new section of roadway was built months in advance of the project and was situated east of Yerba Buena Island, which is at the center point of the bridge, until traffic was cleared from the span. Sixteen computer-controlled hydraulics, known as a skid jacking system, were mounted beneath the 6,700-ton section of new roadway, which needed to be lifted and moved approximately 100 feet into place. 44 http://www.govtech.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - November 2007

Government Technology - November 2007 Contents Point of View Way Back Machine The Last Mile GT Spectrum Big Picture Building Better Government Up Close Inspector Gadget By the Numbers Money Talking No Greenwashing Pinching Pennies Bay Bridge Bustle Two Cents Products Signal: Noise

Government Technology - November 2007

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