PA Turnpike News

[akotchi]

Incidentally, I have a role with detour signing in this project (for local roads on the PA side). If anyone intends to go down toward Bristol to see what's going on, please do see how they look. For that matter, if anyone has any local knowledge about traffic patterns, hit me up.

I live within 10 or so minutes of that area.  I also have a role in some of the traffic mitigation discussions -- I imagine our folks are working with your folks in some way.

[jeffandnicole]

A co-worker of mine said it took about 15 minutes longer for her coming in today, but she lives on the PA side of the bridges, and uses US 13, so I imagine her delay may have involved that route.

[akotchi]

A co-worker of mine said it took about 15 minutes longer for her coming in today, but she lives on the PA side of the bridges, and uses US 13, so I imagine her delay may have involved that route.

My commute was also about 15 minutes, give or take, longer, and I use the Trenton-Morrisville Bridge (northbound).  I get on U.S. 1 from Business U.S. 1 or U.S. 13, depending on what I need to do on the way up.  Bumper-to-bumper but moving.  Backup to Route 29 ramp was all the way across the bridge.

Let's see how tomorrow morning looks . . .

[jeffandnicole]

I think I saw there's construction on US 1 also after you enter NJ, past the Rt. 29 interchange, which doesn't help matters!

[briantroutman]

I've been driving the I-84/I-81/I-80 corridor in the past two days, and absolutely every VMS I've seen–in all directions–is carrying an alert about the Delaware River Bridge closure.

[cpzilliacus]

Philly.com: Decades-old mistake may have caused bridge beam to fail

An apparent construction error six decades ago could have caused the fracture discovered Friday in a steel beam that forced the closure of the Delaware River Bridge, an engineering expert who viewed pictures of the cracked truss said Sunday.

An image of the cracked truss - a supporting piece - on the bridge that runs between Bucks County in Pennsylvania and Burlington County in New Jersey shows signs of holes that had been mistakenly drilled into the steel beam and then filled with plug welds, a typical solution in the 1950s when the bridge was built, said Karl Frank, professor emeritus of engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. His areas of study include fractures and fatigues in metal structures and welded and bolted joints, according to the university website.

[kalvado]

Philly.com: Decades-old mistake may have caused bridge beam to fail

An apparent construction error six decades ago could have caused the fracture discovered Friday in a steel beam that forced the closure of the Delaware River Bridge, an engineering expert who viewed pictures of the cracked truss said Sunday.

An image of the cracked truss - a supporting piece - on the bridge that runs between Bucks County in Pennsylvania and Burlington County in New Jersey shows signs of holes that had been mistakenly drilled into the steel beam and then filled with plug welds, a typical solution in the 1950s when the bridge was built, said Karl Frank, professor emeritus of engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. His areas of study include fractures and fatigues in metal structures and welded and bolted joints, according to the university website.

Something here seems uncomfortable to me. Maybe I am dead wrong... Actually I hope I am wrong! But -  What exactly caused the failure at the holes? Crack around a hole propagating through? Then what prevents same problem at properly drilled hole?  Weakening of the structure due to loss of material? - Doesn't that mean that structure has eaten entire safety factor over the years and demolition had to start last year? Weakening of material due to weld/overheat? Oh, and did they use welds elsewhere in the construction? See demolition rant above..

I can understand that - all other things equal - failure occurred at defective spot. But saying that defect have caused the failure...

[Alps]

Philly.com: Decades-old mistake may have caused bridge beam to fail

An apparent construction error six decades ago could have caused the fracture discovered Friday in a steel beam that forced the closure of the Delaware River Bridge, an engineering expert who viewed pictures of the cracked truss said Sunday.

An image of the cracked truss - a supporting piece - on the bridge that runs between Bucks County in Pennsylvania and Burlington County in New Jersey shows signs of holes that had been mistakenly drilled into the steel beam and then filled with plug welds, a typical solution in the 1950s when the bridge was built, said Karl Frank, professor emeritus of engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. His areas of study include fractures and fatigues in metal structures and welded and bolted joints, according to the university website.

Something here seems uncomfortable to me. Maybe I am dead wrong... Actually I hope I am wrong! But -  What exactly caused the failure at the holes? Crack around a hole propagating through? Then what prevents same problem at properly drilled hole?  Weakening of the structure due to loss of material? - Doesn't that mean that structure has eaten entire safety factor over the years and demolition had to start last year? Weakening of material due to weld/overheat? Oh, and did they use welds elsewhere in the construction? See demolition rant above..

I can understand that - all other things equal - failure occurred at defective spot. But saying that defect have caused the failure...

Yes. Beam is designed to a certain lifespan based on number of loading cycles (as traffic passes over). Weakness/defect in the beam reduces the lifespan because there is less cross sectional area to withstand the stresses, strains, and minute undetectable cracks that form over time. That will always be the first place to go.

[Alps]

Per Philly.com, you will be able to access the NJ Turnpike Extension eastbound from 130 today.  I also saw in the story several local roads in PA under the bridge will be closed as well.

A few stories said to expect very heavy traffic on other nearby bridges. While this make sense, 2 of the bridges mentioned include the Trenton Makes and Calhoun Street bridges. I can't see much traffic that would have normally used the PA & NJ Turnpike making their way to these  very small bridges.  I do think 1, 95, 195 and NJ 29 to be much heavier today though.  I'll gauge the traffic when I'm in the Trenton area around 7:45am.

The Trenton Makes and Calhoun St. bridges will get some more traffic than usual if US 1 gets that much heavier.

[odditude]

traffic was noticeably heavier (although not bad) on the Scudder Falls Bridge SB this morning around 9AM.

[kalvado]

Yes. Beam is designed to a certain lifespan based on number of loading cycles (as traffic passes over). Weakness/defect in the beam reduces the lifespan because there is less cross sectional area to withstand the stresses, strains, and minute undetectable cracks that form over time. That will always be the first place to go.

Sure, weakest point is where it gives. But looking at the pictures - those holes were taking maybe 5% of cross-section, probably less. Even if it weakens the beam by 20% - what was the safety margin assumed during design, at least 2x? As far as I understand that should be more, at least 3-5, and holes should be well accommodated by that factor. Of course,  this is overly simplistic.... still my feeling is that there were non-designed loads in the system. After all backfilling those holes was deemed acceptable, some PE should have signed it off, and it worked fine for 50 years. Probably someone run the numbers and beam strength was still within the spec...
  Or if everything worked by design  - does it mean that other beams of the bridge by now are at 80% life, meaning 50 year old bridge has 10 more years before falling apart?

[CrystalWalrein]

Isn't that bridge supposed to be either rehabilitated or replaced as part of the Interchange Project? I know that a parallel bridge was part of the plans....

[davewiecking]

Yes, but design work hasn't begun and construction isn't planned to start until 2025 at the earliest. At least as of last week.

[jeffandnicole]

Isn't that bridge supposed to be either rehabilitated or replaced as part of the Interchange Project? I know that a parallel bridge was part of the plans....

Rehabbed.  A parallel EB span to the south of the existing bridge was to be built; the current span would eventually become the WB only span.

It should've been done by now.  Of course, the PA Turnpike/95 interchange was supposed to be done by now as well.  With any luck, in just under another 2 years they should have the 2 ramps connecting the thru movements of 95 finally completed.

If just the entire 95/PA TPK interchange was completed already, it would have migrated the effects of the detour.  In a way though, since the interchange isn't done even in part, traffic isn't trying to use the "new" 95.  So the bridge beam failure happened before traffic could've been a lot heavier on that bridge.

[ixnay]

Have the NYC/North Jersey radio stations mentioned the inter-turnpike bridge closure in their traffic reports, since I-78 has been pitched as an alternate?

ixnay

[cpzilliacus]

If just the entire 95/PA TPK interchange was completed already, it would have migrated the effects of the detour.  In a way though, since the interchange isn't done even in part, traffic isn't trying to use the "new" 95.  So the bridge beam failure happened before traffic could've been a lot heavier on that bridge.

This closure also highlights another missing freeway connection - in New Jersey.

If NJTA and NJDOT had built an interchange on the New Jersey Turnpike south of Exit 3 (presumably it would be marked Exit 2A) to directly connect the Pike to NJ-42/I-76/I-676 and the ACE, there would have been added network redundancy that would have been useful. As it is, making that trip now involves a trip through Bellmawr, Breezewood-style from the Turnpike to I-295 via NJ-168.

I have posted my dislike of this breezewood (I believe the only major breezewood in New Jersey) in the  past, and I can understand that NJTA would not want to build a double-trumpet interchange, but at this point they might  be able to simplify matters by building an E-ZPass Only Exit 2A.

[jeffandnicole]

If just the entire 95/PA TPK interchange was completed already, it would have migrated the effects of the detour.  In a way though, since the interchange isn't done even in part, traffic isn't trying to use the "new" 95.  So the bridge beam failure happened before traffic could've been a lot heavier on that bridge.

This closure also highlights another missing freeway connection - in New Jersey.

If NJTA and NJDOT had built an interchange on the New Jersey Turnpike south of Exit 3 (presumably it would be marked Exit 2A) to directly connect the Pike to NJ-42/I-76/I-676 and the ACE, there would have been added network redundancy that would have be useful. As it is, making that trip now involves a trip through Bellmawr, Breezewood-style from the Turnpike to I-295 via NJ-168.

I have posted my dislike of this breezewood (I believe the only major breezewood in New Jersey) in the  past, and I can understand that NJTA would not want to build a double-trumpet interchange, but at this point they might  be able to simplify matters by building an E-ZPass Only Exit 2A.

If they ever do build the interchange chances are it can just be a standard interchange as by the time it'll be built, the Turnpike will be EZ Pass/Pay By Mail only.

[jemacedo9]

The other missing movement highlighted here, somewhat, is the lack of interchange between I-295 and the NJTP extension - which I know was completely intentional. 

BUT...that prompts a trivia question:  once I-95 gets routed on here, will this be the only case where a 2di crosses a related 3di without an interchange?  Do I-95 and I-895 in Baltimore cross w/o an Interchange also?

(...and should I have posted this on the PA Tnpk board though this is an NJ point?)

[jeffandnicole]

...Do I-95 and I-895 in Baltimore cross w/o an Interchange also?

Correct...895 crosses under 95 near the Harbor Tunnel's toll plaza.

[Alps]

The other missing movement highlighted here, somewhat, is the lack of interchange between I-295 and the NJTP extension - which I know was completely intentional. 

BUT...that prompts a trivia question:  once I-95 gets routed on here, will this be the only case where a 2di crosses a related 3di without an interchange?  Do I-95 and I-895 in Baltimore cross w/o an Interchange also?

(...and should I have posted this on the PA Tnpk board though this is an NJ point?)

I can bring it more on topic: 76 and the western 376 interchange are Breezewooded, if you count that.

[cpzilliacus]

Philly.com: Was bridge beam failure a one-off - or hint of a systemic problem?

Engineers working on the closed Delaware River Bridge face the task of determining whether a failed beam was an isolated case or something that could happen elsewhere on the structure.

"They'd be interested in knowing if this is a systemic issue,"  said Carl DeFebo Jr., spokesman for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

The crack completely sheared through a truss beneath the westbound deck of the 1.2-mile-long bridge on the Pennsylvania side of the structure and has forced the closure of the bridge, which carries about 42,000 vehicles a day. 

Authorities could not estimate when the bridge might reopen, and are reserving judgment on what caused the crack. But engineering experts say pictures of the fissure show signs of holes mistakenly drilled into the beams and then filled with plug welds. That was an approach not uncommon in the 1950s, when the bridge was built, but one modern engineers do not recommend because it can create a weak point in a steel beam. The bridge opened to traffic in May 1956.

[cpzilliacus]

The other missing movement highlighted here, somewhat, is the lack of interchange between I-295 and the NJTP extension - which I know was completely intentional. 

BUT...that prompts a trivia question:  once I-95 gets routed on here, will this be the only case where a 2di crosses a related 3di without an interchange?  Do I-95 and I-895 in Baltimore cross w/o an Interchange also?

(...and should I have posted this on the PA Tnpk board though this is an NJ point?)

I can bring it more on topic: 76 and the western 376 interchange are Breezewooded, if you count that.

Not just there.

As PTC and PennDOT were removing the breezewood at I-176 (Morgantown, Exit 298), they built another (!) breezewood down the Turnpike at U.S. 222 (Denver, Exit 286).

Not sure why the Federal Highway Administration division office does not step in and firmly tell PennDOT (at least) that there will be no federal dollars to fund any new breezewoods.

[PHLBOS]

As PTC and PennDOT were removing the breezewood at I-176 (Morgantown, Exit 298), they built another (!) breezewood down the Turnpike at U.S. 222 (Denver, Exit 286).

Not sure why the Federal Highway Administration division office does not step in and firmly tell PennDOT (at least) that there will be no federal dollars to fund any new breezewoods.

Upon looking at historic topographic mapping (type "Denver, PA" & compare 1976 vs. 1978 topo mapping); the current Reading interchange (Exit 286/originally Exit 21) was constructed circa 1977; years before the Morgantown (I-176) Breezewood was removed.  Given the era and that this was a connection to a non-Interstate; the Feds likely didn't raise a stink.

While I'm not crazy about Breezewoods per say, the one at the Reading interchange is more tolerable because such was built with a connector-feeder road as well (as opposed to utilizing an existing street w/developments alongside them).  Additionally, the movement to US 222 northbound from the Turnpike can be done without stopping for a red light.

Note: the original Reading interchange trumpet is still in tact (Pepperidge Drive)

[cpzilliacus]

As PTC and PennDOT were removing the breezewood at I-176 (Morgantown, Exit 298), they built another (!) breezewood down the Turnpike at U.S. 222 (Denver, Exit 286).

Not sure why the Federal Highway Administration division office does not step in and firmly tell PennDOT (at least) that there will be no federal dollars to fund any new breezewoods.

Upon looking at historic topographic mapping (type "Denver, PA" & compare 1976 vs. 1978 topo mapping); the current Reading interchange (Exit 286/originally Exit 21) was constructed circa 1977; years before the Morgantown (I-176) Breezewood was removed.  Given the era and that this was a connection to a non-Interstate; the Feds likely didn't raise a stink.

While I'm not crazy about Breezewoods per say, the one at the Reading interchange is more tolerable because such was built with a connector-feeder road as well (as opposed to utilizing an existing street w/developments alongside them).  Additionally, the movement to US 222 northbound from the Turnpike can be done without stopping for a red light.

Note: the original Reading interchange trumpet is still in tact (Pepperidge Drive)

I will admit to exaggerating about the dates and times involved, though I was not aware that it dates all the way back to 1977. 

I dislike all breezewoods (I  know, that's a shock, right?) - mostly for reasons of safety (motorists not familiar with the area are not expecting a stoplight or driveways), but also because of congestion and capacity.

Wonder if PTC might re-open the ramps at Pepperidge Drive once they have converted to cashless tolling.  Might be a little too close to the "new" interchange at U.S. 222 (Exit 286), but maybe not.

[jemacedo9]

I wasn't thinking of breezewoods...my comment was about 2dis and their related 3dis...and the lack of connection, even closely nearby.  NJs future I-95/I-295 and Baltimore's I-95/I-895 crossing doesn't have an immediate nearby exit, and there is very little signage, if any, that direct one to the other and vice-versa.

The old layout of I-76/I-176 I would have put in a similar category...though in that case, there was specific signage directing from one to the other.  The I-76/I-376 western interchange is similar to this.