Construction— North America— USA— Bridges
Flexible on-site Installation: Prefabricated DYWIDAG Tendons for George V. Voinovich Bridge in Cleveland
The George V. Voinovich Bridge is part of the I-90 Interstate in Cleveland, Ohio, carrying vehicular traffic across the Cuyahoga River. The 5 lane structure replaces a truss bridge built in 1959 that had deteriorated badly and needed replacement.
The new crossing consists of two sister structures, the first of which was completed in 2013. Until the completion of the second bridge, for traffic into the eastern direction, the first structure will continue to accommodate the total traffic volume of approximately 140,000 vehicles per day.
The current bridge under construction for eastbound traffic is where the DYWIDAG system is being used. The main bridge is approximately 1,194.8m( 3,920ft) long and consists of two units. The first part – the approach bridge – is a 4 span conventional steel plate girder bridge. The second part is a 10-span, 5 girder line, steel plate girder bridge supported by steel delta frames.
The span lengths vary from 82.3m to 110m( 270ft to 361ft). Both bridge decks have a total width of approximately 30.5m.
With a length of approximately 27.4m( 90ft), the 18 x 204 HP piles are the largest ever manufactured in the USA. The steel piles were hammered up to 61m( 200ft) deep into the underlying stable bedrock. The piers rest on two concrete blocks that measure 8.5 x 8.5 x 2.6m( 28ft x 28ft x 8.5ft). The columns of the piers were built in 3 sections, with the last section cantilevering laterally. The columns have a hollow core in order to reduce the overall weight of the bridge structures. On top of the two columns is a solid reinforced pier cap joining them together.
There are 5 pedestals on top of each pier cap. Five groups of 20-24 GR150 DYWIDAG Post- Tensioning Bars are embedded multiple feet in to each pier cap, pass through the pedestal, and protrude several feet above, so structural steel can be positioned onto the bars and they can still be stressed. After pier cap concrete placement, the top of the DYWIDAG Bar Tendons were required to pass through an area where a grout pad would be poured after the setting of knuckles( at the bottom of the delta), prior to the completion of the delta frame erection. While placing the grout pad, it was critical that the fluid grout pad material did not enter the ducts and cause blockage or prevent proper tensioning of the tendons.
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