I-95 in Philadelphia suffers major damage.

[Nittany.Lion]

The linked image explains a lot, what the work will look like after the first phase of the work is complete.

After looking at the satellite image, it looks like there is horizontal room for about 14 lanes to work with. The first step is to build 6 lanes in the middle, 3 in each direction, leaving the 6 lanes on the outside. It looks like they will work on the permanent bridge replacement on those outside lanes within the confines of the existing available space, and provide 3 new lanes in each direction. They will then move traffic to the new three-lane bridge(s), then they will remove the work shown in the photo, and complete the new bridge(s) at the center six lanes.

Temporary Stage Construction-LOGO.jpg (3300×2471) (pa.gov)

 

[PSUJam]

This is a real screenshot from the site right now.

 

[Bwifan]

Come on who isn't thinking this right now...

 

[BobPSU92]

This is a real screenshot from the site right now.

View attachment 352635

 

[Bison13]

wonder why you had this clip so accessible?

 

[Bwifan]

Picture of what I-95 will look like after temporary roadway is built

 

[Bison13]

Just put some Flex Seal on that **** and get drivin....

 

[PSU12046]

Just put some Flex Seal on that **** and get 'er done....

 

[Bwifan]

Just put some Flex Seal on that **** and get drivin....

We need MacGyver... he would use duct tape and dental floss and have that fixed in no time....

 

[STPGopherfan]

We used the Fairgambit version (Fleck-Seal(TM)) to patch up the line, Not sure it worked very well...

 

[step.eng69]

"Aero Aggregates anticipates shipping nearly 20,000 cubic yards of the material to the collapse site, which will then be layered between metal caging on the roughly 100-foot-long accident site before being paved over to create six lanes for drivers."

That's about 1,250 tri-axles round the clock deliveries....YIKES

AASHTO estimates road damage from one tri-axle equals about the passage of approximately 6,500 cars over the same pavement location. Over 8 million cars,

 

[Nittany.Lion]

"Aero Aggregates anticipates shipping nearly 20,000 cubic yards of the material to the collapse site, which will then be layered between metal caging on the roughly 100-foot-long accident site before being paved over to create six lanes for drivers."

That's about 1,250 tri-axles round the clock deliveries....YIKES

AASHTO estimates road damage from one tri-axle equals about the passage of approximately 6,500 cars over the same pavement location. Over 8 million cars,

So Step, how do you think they will retain all that fill to create that vertical wall shown in the photo? Precast, Shotcrete/Gunite, Gabion wall, combination?

 

[step.eng69]

So Step, how do you think they will retain all that fill to create that vertical wall shown in the photo? Precast, Shotcrete/Gunite, Gabion wall, combination?

Nitt, If the project cost is base on time and material …..the most expensive way. I'm Just being a dumb A$$.

What’s the height of fill material? 18 ft?
I don’t know, maybe steel soldier piles and horizontal plank, they would be easily removed to construct the interior bridge superstructure. With soldier piles there’s a great chance of slicing thru underground utilities. Maybe vertical pre-cast as you mentioned w/ horizontal tie-backs into the fill. I've designed a 16' high wall sitting on a slope to the creek with Redi-Rock, but the system didn't require handling interstate lane surcharges.

So far, the engineer's solutions have been terrific, much better than this "old bird's" imagination.

whatever retaining system the engineers utilize, the horizontal soil forces (fill & lane surcharge) will be approximately 8,000 lbs to 9,000 lbs per lineal foot along the length that will have to be resisted, if the wall is 100 ft in length, the entire wall will need to resist about 850,000 lbs.

 

[step.eng69]

So Step, how do you think they will retain all that fill to create that vertical wall shown in the photo? Precast, Shotcrete/Gunite, Gabion wall, combination?

I've only had one occasion to consider the GEO-foam product. Community Park managers want to use old 20 ft long shipping containers instead of 8 ft wide box culverts buried under 12 ft of fill. I offered several interior reinforcement and exterior retaining suggestions to handle the soil forces. The managers wanted to use the containers as a buried tunnel for bikes and walk-thru under an overpass.

This is the outcome of burying shipping containers.....
LINK: https://containerauction.com/images/sunk-container-3.jpg

Geo-foam is an interesting product,

LINK: https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=6f4d...LXJlcGxhY2luZy1vdGhlci1maWxsLW1hdGVyaWFsLw&nt​

Road Embankments​

Roadway and highway expansion has seen increasing demands and geofoam construction has been the solution. Because soft soil doesn’t have the ability to support heavy loads, EPS foam material has been the perfect replacement to fill this void. Foam blocks work to reduce the vertical stress that’s placed on roadways and embankments and can withstand high compression rates. It has been a perfect fill material replacement for locations that have weak soil or require some sort of protection from harsh climates. Geofoam is highly resistant to abrasions, punctures, vapor transmission and chemicals, and is also flexible and tough. This makes it a very fitting material for roadways and road embankments because it provides stability, reliability and endurance against all the conditions roadways experience.

 

[TheBigUglies]

I will finish the line: "Hello boys, did you have a good night's rest? I missed you.... "

 

[TheBigUglies]

"Aero Aggregates anticipates shipping nearly 20,000 cubic yards of the material to the collapse site, which will then be layered between metal caging on the roughly 100-foot-long accident site before being paved over to create six lanes for drivers."

That's about 1,250 tri-axles round the clock deliveries....YIKES

AASHTO estimates road damage from one tri-axle equals about the passage of approximately 6,500 cars over the same pavement location. Over 8 million cars,

Somebody's brother's cousin's uncle's bother/sister-in-law is going to make a crap ton of money. Prevailing wage too I am sure for those truck drivers. Get some!!!

 

[rudedude]

The best solution so far!

 

[LionJim]

The best solution so far!

Attaboy.

 

[CF Lion]

Need to bring in some WWII era combat engineers. My pop was a combat engineer in WWII and built temporary bridges for the advancement of the allied forces. He would always b&%ch about how long it took to rebuild roads and bridges by contractors getting paid to do so.

 

[BobPSU92]

Dumb questions: Did they/will they review the safety of the downhill curve on that exit ramp, and can they do anything practical to make it safer? Granted, it seems that the driver took the curve too fast, but could they/should they make it safer?

 

[Nitt1300]

Somebody's brother's cousin's uncle's bother/sister-in-law is going to make a crap ton of money. Prevailing wage too I am sure for those truck drivers. Get some!!!

I don't mind paying the drivers, it's the fat cats living on taxpayer supplied kickbacks that piss me off.

 

[Nittany.Lion]

Nitt, If the project cost is base on time and material …..the most expensive way. I'm Just being a dumb A$$.

What’s the height of fill material? 18 ft?
I don’t know, maybe steel soldier piles and horizontal plank, they would be easily removed to construct the interior bridge superstructure. With soldier piles there’s a great chance of slicing thru underground utilities. Maybe vertical pre-cast as you mentioned w/ horizontal tie-backs into the fill. I've designed a 16' high wall sitting on a slope to the creek with Redi-Rock, but the system didn't require handling interstate lane surcharges.

So far, the engineer's solutions have been terrific, much better than this "old bird's" imagination.

whatever retaining system the engineers utilize, the horizontal soil forces (fill & lane surcharge) will be approximately 8,000 lbs to 9,000 lbs per lineal foot along the length that will have to be resisted, if the wall is 100 ft in length, the entire wall will need to resist about 850,000 lbs.

It's hard to tell exactly based on the live cam what they're doing, it looks like sort of a gabion system.

Anyway.... they're making nice progress

 

[step.eng69]

Dumb questions: Did they/will they review the safety of the downhill curve on that exit ramp, and can they do anything practical to make it safer? Granted, it seems that the driver took the curve too fast, but could they/should they make it safer?

Not a highway engineer, but know enough to make a pest of myself. Spent 18 yrs in construction survey and project management constructing bridges, roadways, Nuclear plants, etc. The ramp is constructed in a busy area, with Princeton Ave leaving little room to move the sloping ramp south, AS INDICATED BY THE BLUE LINE IN THE PIC. (sorry I couldn't keep the line more uniform, coming off an all-night bender).

The horizontal ramp radius measures approx. 305 ft on the outside lane, which is probably close to the minimum desired. Other factors come into play designing a curve radius like....vertical slope, superelevation of outside lane, sight and stopping distance, surface drainage considerations, etc.

Unless, after forensic geometrics investigation of the interchange is found inadequate & hazardous, I believe the minimum that could be achieved without creating overhaul of the interchange would be to lessen the sharp approach angle to the curve would be to construct a two-lane ramp with the outside shown by the blue line in the pic. This would create a smoother horizontal entry to the curve.

But, the bottom line still very expensive, but feasible, keeping traffic flow on I-95 & the ramp open.

RED arrows indicate the ramp widening on I-95...would be constructed with foundations & piers and superstructure girders and pavement over Princeton Ave. YELLOW arrows indicate an approx. 600 ft long retaining wall, varying in height from about 21 ft to 0 ft at grade of the curve.

Below in the second pic., showing the ramp. The at the start of the ramp, it can be moved to the right about 30 ft merging with the edge of Princeton Ave near the begining of the curve.

 

[step.eng69]

It's hard to tell exactly based on the live cam what they're doing, it looks like sort of a gabion system.

Anyway.... they're making nice progress

COOL LINK, THANK YOU NITT........that they are, making very good progress.
If their initial strategy of using the manufactured stone is still in play, it looks like they are placing the stone using elephant trucks similar to placing concrete. Also, it appears after so many inches of material lift, they seem to be placing a geo-grid fabric between lifts.
I would like to see how the material is contained on either side.

 

[BobPSU92]

Not a highway engineer, but know enough to make a pest of myself. Spent 18 yrs in construction survey and project management constructing bridges, roadways, Nuclear plants, etc. The ramp is constructed in a busy area, with Princeton Ave leaving little room to move the sloping ramp south, AS INDICATED BY THE BLUE LINE IN THE PIC. (sorry I couldn't keep the line more uniform, coming off an all-night bender).

The horizontal ramp radius measures approx. 305 ft on the outside lane, which is probably close to the minimum desired. Other factors come into play designing a curve radius like....vertical slope, superelevation of outside lane, sight and stopping distance, surface drainage considerations, etc.

Unless, after forensic geometrics investigation of the interchange is found inadequate & hazardous, I believe the minimum that could be achieved without creating overhaul of the interchange would be to lessen the sharp approach angle to the curve would be to construct a two-lane ramp with the outside shown by the blue line in the pic. This would create a smoother horizontal entry to the curve.

But, the bottom line still very expensive, but feasible, keeping traffic flow on I-95 & the ramp open.

RED arrows indicate the ramp widening on I-95...would be constructed with foundations & piers and superstructure girders and pavement over Princeton Ave. YELLOW arrows indicate an approx. 600 ft long retaining wall, varying in height from about 21 ft to 0 ft at grade of the curve.

Below in the second pic., showing the ramp. The at the start of the ramp, it can be moved to the right about 30 ft merging with the edge of Princeton Ave near the begining of the curve.


View attachment 353151

Thanks, step. Really good stuff.

 

[BobPSU92]

COOL LINK, THANK YOU NITT........that they are, making very good progress.
If their initial strategy of using the manufactured stone is still in play, it looks like they are placing the stone using elephant trucks similar to placing concrete. Also, it appears after so many inches of material lift, they seem to be placing a geo-grid fabric between lifts.
I would like to see how the material is contained on either side.

PENNDOT. Making progress. I don’t get it.

 

[rudedude]

 

[rudedude]

PENNDOT. Making progress. I don’t get it.

Don’t worry, they have traffic royally screwed in NEPA with paving projects on both 81 N & S within a mile or two of each other. Our quiet country road turns into a speedway on weekends.

 

[rudedude]

 

[Tchains23]

Not a highway engineer, but know enough to make a pest of myself. Spent 18 yrs in construction survey and project management constructing bridges, roadways, Nuclear plants, etc. The ramp is constructed in a busy area, with Princeton Ave leaving little room to move the sloping ramp south, AS INDICATED BY THE BLUE LINE IN THE PIC. (sorry I couldn't keep the line more uniform, coming off an all-night bender).

The horizontal ramp radius measures approx. 305 ft on the outside lane, which is probably close to the minimum desired. Other factors come into play designing a curve radius like....vertical slope, superelevation of outside lane, sight and stopping distance, surface drainage considerations, etc.

Unless, after forensic geometrics investigation of the interchange is found inadequate & hazardous, I believe the minimum that could be achieved without creating overhaul of the interchange would be to lessen the sharp approach angle to the curve would be to construct a two-lane ramp with the outside shown by the blue line in the pic. This would create a smoother horizontal entry to the curve.

But, the bottom line still very expensive, but feasible, keeping traffic flow on I-95 & the ramp open.

RED arrows indicate the ramp widening on I-95...would be constructed with foundations & piers and superstructure girders and pavement over Princeton Ave. YELLOW arrows indicate an approx. 600 ft long retaining wall, varying in height from about 21 ft to 0 ft at grade of the curve.

Below in the second pic., showing the ramp. The at the start of the ramp, it can be moved to the right about 30 ft merging with the edge of Princeton Ave near the begining of the curve.


View attachment 353151

Appreciate the info. But the dedicated 2 lanes for this exit start on 95N before your lines and left of what is captured in your first picture.

 

[step.eng69]

Somebody's brother's cousin's uncle's bother/sister-in-law is going to make a crap ton of money. Prevailing wage too I am sure for those truck drivers. Get some!!!

Maybe this will ease your mind about kick-backs or profiteering.

LINK: https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/i95-collapse-bridge-reconstruction-traffic-20230616.html

How will the state control costs?​

In typical government projects, agencies and contractors agree to a price for the work, and it is the contractors’ responsibility to make sure it stays within budget.

(Theoretically, that means the companies, and not the taxpayers, are on the hook for overruns. But frequently, the costs of projects grow over time through mutually agreed-upon contract amendments, with either the company citing unexpected circumstances that drove up costs or the government expanding the scope of projects.)


For at least the initial work on the I-95 project, there is no budget, and Buckley will be paid directly for its costs, Belmont said.
“You’re paying the contractor for personnel [and] equipment by the hour basically,” he said. “The equipment that they have, the materials that they are using — all of this stuff that they’re doing is going to be documented.”

Demolition work at the collapsed I-95 bridge at Cottman Avenue and Street Road on Thursday.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
To ensure the open-ended nature does not lead to waste, PennDot is closely monitoring the work, Belmont said.
“We have construction inspectors out on the job basically documenting everything that’s being done,” he said. “We have construction management firms ensuring the approach is valid, and [they’re] not just piling on hours without any meaning to it.”
One downside of the state’s approach is that there is so far no public documentation of PennDot’s agreement with Buckley and the other firms. Because the initial phase of work is being treated simply as “extra work” for other projects, it is not even being documented through amendments to those contracts, which would be published, Belmont said.
That will change when the state signs a full agreement with Buckley.
“Contracts for the permanent reconstruction will be fully executed and available on the Treasury website when a comprehensive plan in the best interests of the Commonwealth is finalized,” Campbell said.
Published June 16, 2023

 

[Nittany.Lion]

COOL LINK, THANK YOU NITT........that they are, making very good progress.
If their initial strategy of using the manufactured stone is still in play, it looks like they are placing the stone using elephant trucks similar to placing concrete. Also, it appears after so many inches of material lift, they seem to be placing a geo-grid fabric between lifts.
I would like to see how the material is contained on either side.

It looks like they have a stack of wwf in the video, my swag is they're using it and lining/wrapping it with geo-grid fabric. Perhaps they start by bending it into an L-shape, tying it to the previous layer, backfilling in ~2-foot lifts, then bending it over, and then repeat the process with the next lift.

 

[Bwifan]

Buckley and Company certainly are using the PennDOT webcam to their advantage... look at all their signs and how they are all pointed perfectly at the webcam... lots of free advertising

 

[step.eng69]

Appreciate the info. But the dedicated 2 lanes for this exit start on 95N before your lines and left of what is captured in your first picture.

As James would say, "Obviously", I'm talking about some additional widening of 95 to smooth the transition from highway to the down ramp, not where the actual lane transition on I-95 currently exists 2,500 feet south, that won't change.

The widening for the new ramp would need to extend as far as AASHTO's off-sets & tapper length would require. the existing ramp would cease to be functional, out of commission.

 

[step.eng69]

It looks like they have a stack of wwf in the video, my swag is they're using it and lining/wrapping it with geo-grid fabric. Perhaps they start by bending it into an L-shape, tying it to the previous layer, backfilling in ~2-foot lifts, then bending it over, and then repeat the process with the next lift.

Called my son at work this morning about how there're constructing/containing the fill, caught him off-gard. He wasn't aware of the video or how the contractor was placing fill. As he was on his way home in the car, I explained what to him i could see on the blurry video. He explained the contractor may be containing the material similar in nature to your post. (son builds bridges and other transportation projects)

Here's the answer to our question concerning containing the material..........

"Aero Aggregates anticipates shipping nearly 20,000 cubic yards of the material to the collapse site, which will then be layered between metal caging on the roughly 100-foot-long accident site before being paved over to create six lanes for drivers." I missed this when I read the article.

interesting technique, like stacking turned-down concrete slabs on top of each other forming a wall on each end.

 

[step.eng69]

Buckley and Company certainly are using the PennDOT webcam to their advantage... look at all their signs and how they are all pointed perfectly at the webcam... lots of free advertising

also, f'en blurry so Penn DOT doesn't have to put up with messages from A$$'s like myself critiquing good/bad construction practices.

 

[Shadow99]

You can also fill the tri-axle trucks up much more than standard stone and still be under weight. Less trips trucking makes it much quicker. It's a win win.

Absolutely true, as long as you believe that they are honestly filled by weight and not by volume...

Even so, did you see the estimate of # of anticipated loads of lightweight fill that step.eng69 just shared?

 

[PSUJam]

Absolutely true, as long as you believe that they are honestly filled by weight and not by volume...

Even so, did you see the estimate of # of anticipated loads of lightweight fill that step.eng69 just shared?

Good thing that it's produced close and trucks are getting police escorts. Those guys have to get their OT as well.

 

[Nittany.Lion]

"Aero Aggregates anticipates shipping nearly 20,000 cubic yards of the material to the collapse site, which will then be layered between metal caging on the roughly 100-foot-long accident site before being paved over to create six lanes for drivers."

That's about 1,250 tri-axles round the clock deliveries....YIKES

AASHTO estimates road damage from one tri-axle equals about the passage of approximately 6,500 cars over the same pavement location. Over 8 million cars,

I realize the 20,000 cy was reported in the media and it's not your number, but there's no way that can be accurate. Conservatively the volume is 80' wide by 100' long by 20' high, or about 5900 cy, and conversion from loose to bank fill is minimal. Because the product is so light they can use larger trucks with about 100cy capacity, so you're only looking at about 59 truckloads.

From the supplier's website.

 

[step.eng69]

I realize the 20,000 cy was reported in the media and it's not your number, but there's no way that can be accurate. Conservatively the volume is 80' wide by 100' long by 20' high, or about 5900 cy, and conversion from loose to bank fill is minimal. Because the product is so light they can use larger trucks with about 100cy capacity, so you're only looking at about 59 truckloads.

From the supplier's website.

View attachment 353315

Yes, you are correct Nitt (maybe only 180-200 truck loads) ...maybe they have a special permit for hauling a very large load, i don't believe any bridge capacity could handle a 300% increase in allowable loading, but Keeping the trucks spread by patrol cars, allowing one heavily loaded truck at a time across a bridge/overpass would certainly be O.K.

I thought an article by Penn DOT mentioned the material is about 85% the weight of soil fill, maybe mistaken. Loose soil ~ 100 pcf (2,700 pcy)

Truck capacity is 100 cy.

I believe AASHTO load limits is about 80,000 lbs which includes the tractor & trailer weight.
The maximum legal load is the same for all states at 80 kips, while permit loads vary quite a bit with maximums up to 110 kips.

100 cy capacity x 2,700 pcy x 85% reduction =~ 229,000 lbs

229,000 lbs which doesn't include the tractor-trailer weight, 300% loading is way, way greater than legally allowed loading of 80,000 lbs,,

INTERSTATE BRIDGES DO HAVE THE CAPACITY TO SUPPORT ONE OR TWO OF THESE TYPES OF VEHICALES TIMES OF EMERGENCY, providing they are spaced. I understand the State Police are controlling the transport of material along I-95.