The Saginaw News article also details an instance where Michigan State Police raised the bridge to stop a fleeing criminal on I-75. You are still completely responsible for your decisions, your actions, and your safety. For example, consider drawbridges. The segments are joined The ships captain suffered minor injuries. Lin International (TYLI) to perform construction engineering services. During a bearing replacement project, a contractor inadvertently cut through reinforced steel on the bridge, the agency has reported. Around the time of opening, the Zilwaukee Bridge saw roughly 11.3 million vehicles cross per year, according to MDOT. the safety of the Zilwaukee Bridge, then nearing completion. There will be about 27,000 miles of eighth-inch wire found at the following link. Well, hold on -- not exactly. 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. It concerns and painting costs with steel bridges. Precast segments, such as those at the Zilwaukee Bridge, are fabricated While the bridge has performed very well in the years since it has opened In 1979, construction started on a new, elevated bridge that ships could simply pass underneath. In 2008, a $3.3 million construction project to replace bridge bearings hit a snag. Many have been Segmental bridges are in two general categories: precase and cast-in-place. All rights reserved (About Us). 4: The Accident in The in France and Germany in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It helps prevent water and roadway contaminants It caused serious damage. being completed at either end of the new bridge, it was discovered one The main reason for the accident was that too much weight was placed on a compression block. beginning at the existing route (Dixie Hwy) in Bridgeport, continuing northerly Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning. of the new bridge as segments are erected one against another and are post-tensioned The northbound lane of bridge is now closed due to construction and will likely remain closed through July 4 . We are working to learn more information. But in the 1980s, the Zilwaukee Bridge controversially turned into Michigans most expensive. The original Zilwaukee Bridge as a four-lane draw bridge. All rights reserved (About Us). to meet back up with US-23 (present-day M-13) But work didnt resume after the accident until 1984, with a new contractor. 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. Located in Zilwaukee, in Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan, the Zilwaukee Bridge is one of the most spectacular bridges in the world. It was actually a four-lane draw bridge and a freeway beginning at the northern end of the. on this website in its entirety for informational purposes and can be The bridge carries the I-75 / US 23 road. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a box-and-girder concrete segmental bridge that crosses the Saginaw River in Michigan. An epoxy stronger than concrete was used between segments. The Saginaw Township Republican indicated he wants to avoid a repeat of a snafu that forced thousands of motorists to detour from the northbound lanes of the Zilwaukee Bridge for most of 2008. About 15 years after it opened, plans to replace it with a high-level bridge would start gaining steam, according to Michigan Highways. The tilting also damaged the pier footing beneath it. On example of a common but not simple auction is when the opponents compete vs. our 1NT Semi-Forcing bid. 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. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. That way, neither vehicle nor shipping traffic would be impeded by the other. [3] The Zilwaukee Bridge is approximately 8,000 feet (2,400m) in length and rises 125 feet (38m) at its highest point.[1][2]. The concrete segments were built nearby, at a facility constructed for the project. Traffic is being rerouted along as follows: Here's a map of the detours and the other I-75 construction projects nearby: MDOT says work on the bridge includes "replacing bearings, bridge deck overlay and barrier repairs, and electrical work.". Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 7/1/2022). These features expand or contract with the temperature, giving the bridge the ability to adjust to both the warm Michigan summers and extreme colds of winter without sacrificing structural stability. Neither do we. Really makes me wonder - if that was a seriously considered plan, what happened? The Zilwaukee Bridge has a mile-long box underneath the entire span so maintenance workers can keep an eye on how its holding up. Michigan Highways > In Depth: The Zilwaukee Bridge, Page Contents: History The Replacement & Accident Ongoing Maintenance Zilwaukee the bridge. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a.high level bridge carrying I-75 [and US-23] over the Saginaw River at Zilwaukee. The cause, according to Michigan Highways, was construction loads at that location were too heavy. In 1979, construction on the elevated Zilwaukee Bridge, which accommodates both boat and vehicle traffic, began. To make sure the its integrity would not be compromised, crews installed steel reinforcement on the bridge's exterior. This drawbridge was meant to ease congestion, but made it worse as both vehicle and shipping traffic drastically increased. to traffic, the bad news did not stop even after motorists had been using The first two of those still serve this route across the current Zilwaukee Bridge today, but U.S. 10 was scaled back to end west of Bay City at around the same time that this bridge was replaced with that one. They are held together with 20,000 miles of steel cable. "These hand-written plans, drafted around 1980, were used to build the original bridge. The bridge operator continued to staff the bridge until it was Bridge Construction Engineering. Annotated Aerial Image, I-75 and Zilwaukee Bridge Improvements: Construction and Motorist Information, Photography The 1982 accident completely stopped construction. (You can read a lot more about the construction issue here). While the need for a replacement of the original structure became acute soon after it was completed,[3] the construction of the current structure was also plagued with difficulties. are 73.5 feet wide and either eight feet or 12 feet long. The history of the Zilwaukee Bridge is one of adaptation over time, as the little town of Zilwaukee started to grow. But the $3.3 million project hit some road blocks in March, forcing motorists to steer around the bridge for at least another two months. During construction, the expansion joints were held in place by compression blocks that prevented them from moving until the box-girder deck was completed. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The agency has vowed to hire experts in concrete segmental bridge construction for the next project. two spans of the bridge simultaneously. (Thanks to Claire Kerk for the tip!). Once repairs were made, a new contractor was hired to complete the bridge once the initial contractor (Stevin Construction) and the state agreed to terminate their contract in exchange for both sides dropping their lawsuits over the accident. You are being asked to avoid the area. The two new segments then are stressed to the And it wasnt just the cars that suffered. Yes, the Zilwaukee Bridge of 1960 was a drawbridge. Or are you better off taking a different route? of high-strength reinforced concrete segments held together by thousands 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. It needs to hold up about another 50 to 60 years considering it could take roughly $1 billion to replace it. In fact, in 1979, the traffic jam was a whopping 56 miles long. in the first place. The initial budget of $79 million had already been exceeded by $48 million, when at time in 1982, the bridge was roughly two-thirds completed, and a 150-foot (46 m) long segment weighing 6,700-ton (6,070 metric tonnes), not being properly counterbalanced, tipped down to being five feet (1.5 m) out of alignment, with the other end rising 3.5 feet (1.1 m). At its peak, the bridge is 125 feet above water level. Traffic is being rerouted along as follows: Wednesdays - Saturdays Why did it happen? After an extensive investigation, five separate factors were identified, but the main issue was that too much construction weight was placed on the joint while the deck was being built. Flint Journal file photoTravelers go on the Zilwaukee Bridge during lunchtime in 1999. However, the size of interstate traffic was simply not appropriate for a small citynor did many drivers want to slow down on their way north to rural areas or south to Detroit. Most roads are bridges are simple structures, he said. The Zilwaukee Bridge is one of the few, if not the only, bridge in Michigan that doesn't use salt to de-ice the roadway, an MDOT official said. as they come together and fills the tiny imperfections in the faces. Department of Transportation in response to public concerns about Todays Zilwaukee Bridge can be traced back to the 1950s, and the original two-lane highway bypass on the east side of Saginaw, which according to Michigan Highways was completed in 1953. through downtown via US-10 and US-23. Traffic began using the Zilwaukee Bridge again on October 1, 2008. freeway beginning at the northern end of the 1953 bypass (at present-day M-13), The Zilwaukee Bridge wasnt the only option pitched when thinking about how to stop the traffic jams. Cracks smaller than .004 inches The total launching girder apparatus weighs The segments at Zilwaukee were constructed at a specially designed casting The bridge carries the I-75 / US 23 road. It stands on its own steel legs A 1,700-ton launching girder atop the bridge is equipped with a crane that takes the segment and puts it into place. .004 inches (about the thickness of a human hair). The main strength of the bridge comes from its 4,000 miles of steel tension cables hidden away in the concrete. 21.6M vehicles cross each year. [Image: The bridge takes shape. With regard to the bridge itself, 154 bearings installed during the bridge's construction in the 1980s were replaced with new ones made of "a high-density plastic material" according to MDOT's Engineer of Bridge Field Services Matthew J. Chynoweth. The grout cures to become 10. and can roll across these legs when necessary to move to a new position dangerousroads.org is not responsible for the information contained in these pages. Sometimes the bridge would open without much warning, causing cars to crash while trying to slow down. Idahosa noted that aside helping to reduce to the barest minimum the number of deaths at that portion of the highway, construction of a pedestrian bridge there would also help reduce the number of . Much more on the The current eight-lane structure, completed in 1988, is the second such bridge at this location, replacing a four-lane bascule bridge constructed in 1960. of Jason Hill: Zilwaukee Gallery, Michigan in Pictures: The Zilwaukee Bridge, Zilwaukee The northbound portion of the bridge was finally opened to traffic on December 23, 1987, just in time for Christmas. in an MDOT-produced publication from the early-1990s: The The cost was approximately $6.8 million. And thanks to Chris Bessert for compiling all of this great historical information. The work was completed in 2015 and was expected extend the life of the bridge until 2087. The new contractor developed a method of heating the concrete to allow construction during the winter. An MDOT report found the 2008 issues were due to faulty documentation from the original construction, according to Michigan Highways. on the new structure commenced in late-1979 and was projected to cost approximately He enjoys suffering through Lions games on Sundays in the fall. With the coming of the Interstate Highway System in the late-1950s, the At Zilwaukee, each cable is about the size of a man's wrist. Check back here for updates. The setback took two years and $6 million more unbudgeted dollars. the opening of the (original) Zilwaukee Bridge in 1960 it became clear Now, the bridge is very busy. plant at the bridge site. In May of 1987, the Michigan and constructed is a post-tensioned, segmental, box girder bridge and work The Saginaw News reported on the price tag to keep the Zilwaukee Bridge free of snow and ice.The don't use cheap salt which would result in corrosion of. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The towns population, as of 2010, was about 1,600. The Z-Bridge, as it has come to be called, has a rich and, at times, dangerous history, but its without a doubt one of the best-known bridges in Michigan. It also lubricates the segment faces is spread on both matching faces before they are brought together. The original Zilwaukee Bridge as a four-lane draw bridge. The bridge has twin decks built of a series of high-strength reinforced concrete segments held together by thousands of firmly tensioned steel cables. at the intersecting roads. I dont know whether or not the problem with the Z-Bridge is limited to the Z-Bridge or not, said Kahn, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, in a recent interview. The effect caused one side of the 300-foot-long section of bridge deck to sag and the other to rise. were routed over the bridge for the first time on Wednesday, December 23, The bearing replacement project consisted of construction crews lifting the bridge structure about an inch using jacks "the size of large wine barrels," according to MDOT. "From the 'as built' plans for the bridge, the only steel that was expected to be encountered were smaller steel bars," said Bay Region Engineer Robert Ranck. The origin of today's Zilwaukee Bridge can be traced back to the original Repair work began in the early summer of 1983 and totaled around $6.8 million. While that may not sound like a lot, it's a big deal when talking about tons and tons of concrete and steel. Others just marvel at its vast span and view of the Saginaw River. Create an account to start this course today. That structure was supposed to be completed in 1983, but the collapse of a temporary compression block on an expansion joint in 1982 literally derailed the project. (AP Photo/Michael Hollenbeck/The Saginaw News. After the cleanup and investigations and hiring of new contractors, work didn't resume until late 1984. Originally anticipated to last a few weeks, the project instead stretched more than six months when construction workers from Midwest Bridge Company of Williamston drilled into one of the bridge's steel tensioning rods. Start your calculations and predictions will three lanes over the Zilwaukee Bridge be enough? If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. When the block was crushed, a 300-foot-long section of bridge deck sagged 5 feet on one end and rose 3-and-a-half feet on the other, according to MDOT records. construction in the United States and Canada. completely cured, the expoxy is stronger than the concrete segments which How to Survive and Journey through the Nanisivik Highway, The Ultimate Guide to Traveling the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway, Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road was closed permanently on April 2017, Dalton Highway is the loneliest road on Earth, Slettnes lighthouse: the road to the end of Europe, How to Stay Safe on Dangerous Roads: Preparing Your Car for Bad Weather Driving. Thus, the new bridge is This balanced group of four Repairs totaled $6.8 million. Bridge Report Aerial Imagery Additional This is the first time it has ever been an issue.. A truck hauled the segments up one by one on a double-side trailer that allowed the truck to circle around after dropping the load and hitch back up on the other side. 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