TPD was contracted by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) to provide inspections of 18 bridges and engineering services to develop plans for the rehabilitation of seven (7) bridges over and on the Turnpike Mainline. The types of structures inspected and rehabilitated included single and multi-span steel girder bridges, reinforced concrete arch culverts, reinforced concrete T-beam bridges, and a reinforced concrete slab bridge.
TPD reviewed the past inspection reports, maintenance records and plans for the 18 bridges between mileposts 20 to 28 to identify known deficiencies and areas of possible concern. During field inspections, efforts were concentrated on areas identified by this review. To minimize traffic disruptions to Turnpike users and to gain access to all identified problem areas, TPD obtained access services and coordinated our efforts with Turnpike Maintenance personnel.
Upon completion of the field work, TPD prepared reports that summarized our findings and listed repair recommendations prioritized by the severity of the observed deterioration, cost and the overall condition ratings of the bridges. Maintenance items were prioritized to remove a bridge from the structurally deficient bridge list or to preclude a bridge from becoming structurally deficient in the foreseeable future.
After coordinating with the PTC and discussing the recommendations, a list of proposed improvements to seven (7) of the 18 bridges inspected was developed. TPD then completed all necessary engineering work to produce plans and specifications for the rehabilitation of the bridges. Upon completion of the work, six (6) of the bridges were removed from the ‘Structurally Deficient’ list and the seventh bridge was kept off the Structurally Deficient list. The engineering work and the plan and specification preparation included:
- Load rating analyses of the rehabilitated structures
- Roadway plans for approach work on overhead structures
- H&H analyses for scour repairs at multiple bridges
- E&S Plans
- Preparation of details for the repair of concrete T-beam structures using bonded reinforced polymer systems
-Preparation of details for concrete substructure repairs
- Preparation of details for bearing replacements
- Preparation of details for deck and bridge joint repairs
- Quantity calculations and final cost estimates
