Bridge features ‘ Lego- like ’ construction design
I nnovative thinking allowed WSP USA to design the new
Veterans Memorial Bridge to be a structure that meets the needs of Daytona Beach residents while maintaining the relatively low profile that makes the bridge attractive and functional .
Volusia County residents were opposed to a standard design for their new bridge , fearing it would drastically change the character of the Daytona Beach area . A lower-level bridge – something closer to that of the bascule drawbridge being replaced – was demanded .
It was argued that in addition to altering the scenic landscape of the area , a high bridge with a steep grade would pose significant challenges for the pedestrians and bicyclists , many of them seniors , who would use the bridge each day .
One of the ways WSP USA engineers were able to meet such demands while keeping project costs reasonable was an innovative technique that called for greater use of precast concrete construction . than we were hoping , but it turned out pretty nice .”
But there was nothing slow about the inspection performed by the Ayres team , Rook said , a fact that was obvious from the initial planning meeting .
“ They were well prepared , they scheduled their business in a timely manner , and they did a great job as always ,” Rook said .
“ This was a pretty complex bridge , so that made the inspection more challenging ,” he added . “ Anytime you build a bridge over water it becomes more challenging . When divers have to go down , it ’ s way more complex .”
Despite the complexity of the inspection , “ they turned it around fast , which is a big deal ,” Rook said , explaining that
“ They took an old type of cast-in-place bridge design and incorporated pre-casting methods ,” said Rick Maslyn , who led the Ayres team that conducted the initial inspection of the new bridge .
This allowed for minimizing the more expensive , cast-inplace techniques for the bridge ’ s arch and superstructure components .
Cranes were used to lift the precast beams and main span arches into place at the construction site ; concrete then was poured to connect the many bridge sections together .
Other steps were taken on site to secure the rigidity of those connection points and to assure the reliability of the innovative construction technique , which WSP USA design project manager Tad Molas described as “ sort of like Lego blocks .”
( Source : Structures + Buildings Magazine , July 1 , 2020 issue ) www . AyresAssociates . com 25