to turn the 70-foot trailer around on the 73-foot wide bridges, the trailer The Zilwaukee Bridge is a high-level, segmental concrete bridge spanning the Saginaw River in the U.S. state of Michigan. Traffic shifted between I-75/US-23 and I-675 twice weekly to ensure three lanes were open in the direction of peak travel. built in western Europe and have been found to be generally more economical A three-week project turned into six months, and crews ended up discovering that more than 30 of the new bearings werent properly designed and would not fit. 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. beginning at the existing route (Dixie Hwy) in Bridgeport, continuing northerly The freighter was fine but the bridge suffered substantial damage. as they come together and fills the tiny imperfections in the faces. MDOT spokesman William L. Shreck said old construction plans are not a new issue, but the problem with the Zilwaukee Bridge was. The northbound lane of bridge is now closed due to construction and will likely remain closed through July 4 . The current bridge is not the first Zilwaukee River crossing. It caused serious damage. Back to: Section 2: Background I say we go back to these days and watch the boats go by: 91.7 Ann Arbor/Detroit 104.1 Grand Rapids Saturday, August 20th 2022 Crashes impacting NB and SB 75 on the Zilwaukee Bridge. 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. Read: The Z-Bridge: The turbulent history behind Michigans Zilwaukee Bridge. Others just marvel at its vast span and view of the Saginaw River. The resulting fiasco was the worst in Michigan's transit history. In 1979, with its Joint Venture partner Stevin Construction, Toebe won the contract to construct the Zilwaukee Bridge near Saginaw, Michigan. Almost exactly nine months later, the southbound side of the bridge was opened. Bridge "bearings" are pads under the bridge deck that transfer loads to the piers while allowing for some movement. David J. Herber, L & B Cartage vice president, said bridge lane closures have cost the drivers of the companys 43 vehicles time and money. He's been with WDIV since 2013. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 7/1/2022). bridge was opened to traffic on Monday, September 19, 1988. The building and opening of the Zilwaukee Bridge: Yet, five years later than expected, on Dec. 23, 1987, the first vehicles crossed the northbound side. back to a major construction accident while bridge was not yet half completed Deck width: 74.0 ft. Also called I-75 Saginaw River Bridge Approximate latitude, longitude +43.48232, -83.91243 (decimal degrees) Construction crews began work on a major renovation project on the Zilwaukee Bridge this week. The weight of the launching girder, combined with the truck carrying a Chris has a master's degree in history and teaches at the University of Northern Colorado. The Zilwaukee Bridge exists as an alternative to the federal governments original I-75 design. Ha! .004 inches (about the thickness of a human hair). At Zilwaukee, each cable is about the size of a man's wrist. Each one was closely inspected by a specially He was 49 years old. the opening of the (original) Zilwaukee Bridge in 1960 it became clear After the completion of the new bridge, the Zilwaukee Bridge experienced a stretch of mostly peace for cars and freighters alike. Here's a copy of letters this week from an MDOT engineer to Kahn and from Kahn to MDOT's director about the Zilwaukee Bridge construction mishap. one of the most spectacular bridges in the world. Then again, there's not much about THIS bridge that I had known prior to when I first visited this website last year. On Saturday, the bridge has three southbound lanes, while northbound traffic. Michigan Highways > In Depth: The Zilwaukee Bridge, Page Contents: History The Replacement & Accident Ongoing Maintenance Zilwaukee I was not able to get a photograph of the bridge as as. The Zilwaukee Bridge wasnt the only option pitched when thinking about how to stop the traffic jams. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a massive segmental concrete bridge that carries the I-75 over the Saginaw River in Michigan. Each cable is stretched with hydraulic jacks, stressed to nearly 200 tons, Flint Journal file photoTravelers go on the Zilwaukee Bridge during lunchtime in 1999. When the balanced group of four segments is in place, a segment is again Brunner said MDOT will meet with government officials and business owners to review traffic patterns before construction begins. To use information contained on this site is to do so at your own risk. An MDOT report found the 2008 issues were due to faulty documentation from the original construction, according to Michigan Highways. Construction began in 1979 with an expected completion date three years later, but the bridge was not available for traffic for nine years. We had to wait in line. (MDOT) BAY CITY, Mich - Bay County 911 reports there are two different multi-vehicle accidents on both northbound and southbound I-75 on top of the Zilwaukee Bridge. Six steps were required to bring the tilted 300-foot deck section back to its intened position. feet in length to the huge I-205 Freeway Bridge, spanning the Columbia through downtown as the through route. By 1982, the 52 piers that would support the bridge were finished, and expansion joints were being added. are 73.5 feet wide and either eight feet or 12 feet long. of the ramp, now scheduled to open this year. The northbound lanes of Interstate 75 across the bridge, closed since Feb. 18, 2008, to replace bearings that allow it to expand and contract in changing weather, were due to reopen by the end of March. The 1982 accident completely stopped construction. [5] During 2014, special custom-made jacks were put into place as a stop-gap measure while bearings were replaced.[6]. Construction begins by placing two segments directly atop a bridge pier, Officials confirmed Tulpehocken Forge Road is closed and they're asking people to avoid the area. of an epoxy resin makes the repaired area stronger than the concrete was All rights reserved. Copyright 2022 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. 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. They ride electric cars inside to inspect and do repairs. Unfortunately, shipping increased fourfold in the early 1960s; and each time the drawbridge opened, cars would back up for miles. The river serves as the boundary between Zilwaukee Township and the city of Zilwaukee at this point, which is approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) north of downtown Saginaw. Our concern is if they shut it down for one year in each way, it could have a major impact, Jolin said. Now, an average of 21.6 million vehicles cross the bridge per year. segments is then pulled together with high-strength steel cables, also Department of Transportation in response to public concerns about Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. But in the 1980s, the Zilwaukee Bridge controversially turned into Michigans most expensive. In the 1980's, Toebe completed a number of large . However, let's step back in time to the genesis of the crossing consisted of the new four-lane, double-leaf bascule (draw) bridge and a The history of the Zilwaukee Bridge is one of adaptation over time, as the little town of Zilwaukee started to grow. The solution was ingenious: pipes filled with refrigerant were inserted into the bedrock and then frozen to create a firm foundation for the bridge. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Each segment is manufactured with 10,000 pounds of reinforcing steel inside. In an August 22, 1989 article, The Clearly, a new solution was needed. The worst back-ups, of course, occurred during Information. The project ran from April 2013 through 2015. The bid for the steel bridge totaled $86.2 million. Next: Section 4: The Accident We have some major businesses here in town that must have that expressway open.. 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. Originally, the bridge seemed like a big improvement, but it ran into problems rather quickly. All rights reserved (About Us). The incident in August 1982 was caused by a large amount of mispositioned weight during the installation of a segment between two piers, according to MDOT. News never stops. This technology has gained rapid acceptance and has spread to other countries. Segments are transported from the fabricating plant to the bridge by a According to a story On Tuesday, September 22, 1987 the final 117-ton piece With fuel prices the way they are, every mile extra hurts.. This drawbridge was meant to ease congestion, but made it worse as both vehicle and shipping traffic drastically increased. Of 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. According to MDOT records, other proposals included barring river traffic, relocating the freeway and digging a tunnel under the river. We froze the ground below the pier, we abandoned the footing in place because the footing was completely destroyed. The compound gets rid of the ice without any worry of corrosion to the bridge. The issue of one-way traffic is of great concern to local businesses and local government, he wrote in the letter to Steudle. The state spent $120 million to build the bridge but design problems and. Around 21 million vehicles a year ride up and over the Saginaw River. The Mackinac Bridge opened in 1957. On August 28, the temporary compression blocks started to crush, and a 300-foot-long bridge section sagged five feet on one end and three-and-a-half feet at the other. The bridge carries the I-75 / US 23 road. site. Crank up the tunes. or pillar. Later during construction of new on- and off-ramps in the M-13 interchange on the bridge approach, workers uncovered an uncharted landfill containing PCB-contaminated waste, necessitating an environmental cleanup. subjected every day to far heavier weights than it will ever experience After the cleanup and investigations and hiring of new contractors, work didn't resume until late 1984. originally and prevents water seepage. Why did it happen? But work didnt resume after the accident until 1984, with a new contractor. 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. more than six times as much as a fully-loaded standard 18-wheel, 40-ton I believe it was demolished in 1989. This was concrete, forming another layer of protection for the steel cables. During the six-month shutdown, traffic was rerouted via I-675 through downtown Saginaw and massive back-ups were common. And thanks to Chris Bessert for compiling all of this great historical information. and another is attached to the opposite side. Technology for ost-tensioned, segmental, box girder bridges was developed Department of Transportation issued a report detailing the background In August of 1982, just one year before the bridge was supposed to be completed, one of the temporary compression blocks failed and collapsed. In 2008, a $3.3 million construction project to replace bridge bearings hit a snag. The cause, according to Michigan Highways, was construction loads at that location were too heavy. Published: Jan. 16, 2023 at 8:39 AM PST. The largest segments On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The ship failed to respond after turning the bend near the bridge. primary purpose of the epoxy is to act as an environmental seal of the it joins. It was only 150 feet wide and several ships ended up clipping the bridge, causing damage and even more traffic issues. two spans of the bridge simultaneously. The current eight-lane structure, completed in 1988, is the second such bridge at this location, replacing . For example, consider drawbridges. At the time, the project was the largest pre-cast concrete segmental bridge in the United States, and the largest project the MDOT had ever undertaken. The expectation was that adding this additional crossing would give vehicles more options and more direct routes, breaking up the traffic along the growing interstate. The previous drawbridge was the only location at which the I-75 stopped between Florida and Michigan. It didnt really work, and Zilwaukee did not turn into Milwaukee. major holiday weekends and during the fall hunting season. In 1960, the new route opened -- and the Zilwaukee Bridge was born. The mile-and-a-half long bridge replaces Engineers said even after 35 years, its holding up well. However, the bridge caused long traffic jams whenever it opened, so local officials commissioned an alternative. repairs as well as a discussion of the safety of the bridge, which was [4] On October 21, 2008 the bridge opened up to north and southbound traffic once again. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. through downtown via US-10 and US-23. 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. The final bridge would not be completed until 1987-88, but finally, the people of Zilwaukee had a bridge that could handle their growth. The first two of those still serve this route across the current Zilwaukee Bridge today, but U.S. 10 was scaled back to end . However, due to the accident and its subsequent repair work, construction To make sure the its integrity would not be compromised, crews installed steel reinforcement on the bridge's exterior. Construction of the bridge would resume. http://www.michiganhighways.org/listings/US-010.html. construction accident halted all work in August 1982. added. highway running from Detroit to the Mackinac Bridge. Another important step is taken to protect steel cables from corrosion. The segmental bridge is built from individual concrete pieces, or segments, This important artery allows traffic to move through the area without entering downtown Saginaw. The entire segment instantly sank five feet lower than the section they were attempting to attach it to. It was actually a four-lane draw bridge and a freeway beginning at the northern end of the. Zilwaukee Mayor Gene Jolin said he hopes the state will keep two-way traffic on the bridge when it starts a two-year deck replacement and bearing project in 2012. cannot effectively be injected or sealed. fixed to the opposite end. 13. Crossing the Saginaw River may have been exciting for kids who liked drawbridges, but enough adults became tired of the constant traffic that a new structure was needed. To ease the commute along this route, a bridge was constructed over the Saginaw River. The $3.3 million project was further hindered when crews determined that more than 30 new bearings were not designed properly. time it opened for river traffic. on the job weigh 160 tons, so the loaded unit can weigh up to 262 tons, This is the first time it has ever been an issue.. The original bid for the project was $76.8 million. of the new bridge as segments are erected one against another and are post-tensioned (You can read a lot more about the construction issue here). Rod Meloni is an Emmy Award-winning Business Editor on Local 4 News and a Certified Financial Planner Professional. The original The construction of the structure was plagued with difficulties: when it was approximately half-complete, a major construction accident halted all work in August 1982. On some cold days these new sections could not be properly sealed against water infiltration, eventually leading to spalling as the water froze and expanded. (Thanks to Claire Kerk for the tip!). Final position was attained on March 23, 1984, completing a challenging engineering and construction task and using some unusual and innovative methods in the process. There are more than 4,000 miles of post-tensioned steel cable in the 1.5-mile-long bridge. act as a continuous bridge. Construction crews began work on a major renovation project on the Zilwaukee Bridge this week. On December 7, 2012 the Detroit News reported that a $70 million MDOT program would commence the following April to replace 154 bearings, rebuild 4 miles of I-75, replace the Janes Road bridge, and repair the CSX and Wadsworth Road rail bridges in the area. Zilwaukee Bridge. pieces will fit perfectly when they are placed together on the bridge. You are being asked to avoid the. Now that is amazing. They look like this: According to Michigan Highways, MDOT engineer Matthew Chynoweth says the bearings for the Zilwaukee Bridge are getting worn out. fabrication of the segments. Top top it off, shipping traffic actually quadrupled in the years after an outmoded, inadequate drawbridge that caused backups on the freeway every 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. More. It was time to start assembling the concrete segments of the bridge surface. Repairs totaled $6.8 million. Investigators said there were five reasons for the failure. to traffic, the bad news did not stop even after motorists had been using This process is repeated until the entire span is closed. However, it is most often known as the source of a giant headache because of a costly and high-profile construction accident that halted work entirely for two years. The bridge has twin decks built of a series It makes for an imposing sight, and the Zilwaukee Riverfront Park sits nearby. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. The total launching girder apparatus weighs For the first three years, everything went according to plan, and all of the piers were constructed on schedule. MDOT's policy requires concrete cracks be repaired if they are larger than Each is formed by 12 strands of steel cable, and each strand is formed by seven wires about one-eighth inch in diameter. It also damaged the pier underneath. bascule bridge was permanently closed on that datebut only to automobile The present structure was designed to relieve traffic congestion along the freeway crossing it, resulting from repeated openings of the draw span for lake freighter traffic serving industrial sites along the river. Yes, the Zilwaukee Bridge of 1960 was a drawbridge. During a bearing replacement project, a contractor inadvertently cut through reinforced steel on the bridge, the agency has reported. on the new structure commenced in late-1979 and was projected to cost approximately The accident delayed construction for over 2 years.Pic: http://media.mlive.com/saginawnews_impact/photo/zilwaukee-bridge-bbec235072ccfec4.jpg. A Saginaw News article reported in 1954 that some German immigrants who would come through New York City would sign agreements to work in Zilwaukee, thinking they were heading to Milwaukee. One thing worth noting: Upon the opening of this bridge to traffic, it served a triple concurrency of I-75/U.S. On precast segmental bridges, the concrete segments must be delivered There has been a Saginaw bridge for nearly 70 years. Create an account to start this course today. By 1975, the state of Michigan was already planning out a replacement bridge to cross the Saginaw River. Add onto that the fact that the drawbridge span was pretty narrow, resulting in several ships running into the bridge and getting stuck, and it became pretty obvious that a new bridge was needed. This helps to ensure that the bridge could withstand about twice as much weight as is predicted during peak traffic hours. the bridge, causing damage and additional tie-ups on the freeway as well. be found in Section One end of the 300-foot span supported by that pillar sagged five feet, while the other end was lifted 3 feet into the air. MDOT said crews erected a steel reinforcement on the exterior of the bridge to ensure that the structural integrity of the bridge continues to remain sound. The deck itself was able to be aligned back into place and the pier underneath was then heavily reinforced. 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. 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. In April 2008, work crews replacing bridge bearings unexpectedly drilled into several reinforcing steel bars in the bridge. Traffic: Estimated 21,600,000 vehicles per year. habitat. After more than four years, MDOT announced a $70-million project to replace 154 of the bridge's bearings as well as rebuild four miles of the I-75/US-23 freeway between the I-675 junctions, replace the Janes Ave overpass, and repair and widen the Wadsworth Rd and CSX Railroad underpasses to the south of the bridge. ** FILE **Traffic is stop and go over the Zilwaukee Bridge Sunday afternoon in this July 6, 2003 photo, as the Fourth of July motorists head home. The Michigan Department of Transportation says it will close two lanes of traffic on the I-75 Zilwaukee Bridge tomorrow and Thursday. Today, the Zilwaukee Bridge is the major artery connecting the north of Michigan to Detroit. On example of a common but not simple auction is when the opponents compete vs. our 1NT Semi-Forcing bid. This archive footage shows construction at Michigan's Zilwaukee Bridge in 1982 and its official opening in 1987. About 15 years after it opened, plans to replace it with a high-level bridge would start gaining steam, according to Michigan Highways. Traffic was shut down for about six months, before reopening in October of 2008. (Please remember while reading the report, The Zilwaukee Bridge along Interstate 75 over the Saginaw River. Neither do we. Ken Haddad is the digital content and audience manager for WDIV / ClickOnDetroit.com. and constructed is a post-tensioned, segmental, box girder bridge and work This high-level, segmental concrete bridge spanning the Saginaw River is said to be the perfect example on how not to build a bridge. It dangerousroads.org is not responsible for the information contained in these pages. A track-mounted crane atop the launching Do you know anyspectacular road?Click here to send us all the info, and we'll publish it! to build than steel bridges and less expensive to maintain because of corrosion When two adjacent But in August of 1982, after more than half the bridge had taken shape disaster struck. We want your experiences too! The situation with old plans has been around for years, he said. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a box-and-girder concrete segmental bridge that crosses the Saginaw River in Michigan. Learn about the Zilwaukee Bridge on the Saginaw River, its history, and its height. But apparently, the settlers of the small town named it Zilwaukee (originally Zilwaukie) as a homage to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which at the time was one of the fastest growing industrial cities in the region. Instead, a chemical compound called calcium magnesium acetate is used as an alternative. construction in the United States and Canada. Department of Transportation. group to create a solid unit, six segments long. The southbound side opened the next summer. A report released by MDOT in December 2010 noted the problems with the 2008 project were due to faulty documentation from the bridge's original construction.
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