Originally Published on November 20, 2019
Source: Building Indiana
Cline Avenue Bridge, LLC, owned and operated by United Bridge Partners, announces the completion of a construction milestone: all 685 concrete segments that will comprise the bridge’s driving deck are now complete, and over 270 have been erected since March 2019. This achievement further demonstrates that a significant portion of behind-the-scenes work is finished and that the project is well on its way.
The segments were cast in a 24,600-square-foot building located at the project site using local labor and materials, which allowed for their manufacture in a controlled environment and for their storage nearby for ready access. Having an on-site casting building offers the additional advantages of allowing crews to cast throughout all four building seasons while reducing transportation, labor, and material costs typically associated with trucking in segments.
When complete, the structure will serve as an elegant landmark that appears as one seamless, fluid structure – the result of countless decisions all aimed at achieving this result. Every single-cell box girder segment is engineered for its exact location within the structure with features such as curves and angles built into each one, which also means that no two are identical. Their geometry offers strength without added weight and will allow maintenance and inspection personnel to access to the bridge from the inside without disruptions to traffic. Made from a custom mix of high-strength concrete, each segment weighs between 60 and 90 tons.
Since Construction of the Cline Avenue Bridge began in June of 2017, the foundations and substructure have been completed, superstructure erection is well underway, existing steel bridge preservation work is complete, and now superstructure segment fabrication is complete. When the bridge opens to the public in 2020, it will help reduce congestion and emissions, spur economic growth, and provide local first responders with a more efficient route while making Lake County more accessible. Project and progress updates can be found on the company’s social media sites, which are linked through their website at clineave.com.