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Del. I-495 emergency closure

Started by Alps, June 02, 2014, 08:09:43 PM

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froggie

QuoteToo bad the 12th Street Expressway was never constructed, at least Wilmington traffic would have had that as an option from the north.

Was this actually a proposal?  If so, when/where/how?


MASTERNC

What did DelDOT do when I-495 was closed for reconstruction before and all traffic was diverted to I-95?  Seems like if this is going to be a multi-week closure during the summer, perhaps some temporary widening should be done.

I heard stories that I-95 was backed all the way onto I-476 in PA.  Given how bad weekend traffic can be during the summer, this will be an area to avoid.  Long distance traffic to Philly might want to consider picking up US 1 in Maryland.

Alex

Quote from: froggie on June 03, 2014, 10:01:06 PM
QuoteToo bad the 12th Street Expressway was never constructed, at least Wilmington traffic would have had that as an option from the north.

Was this actually a proposal?  If so, when/where/how?

I recalled it as the "12th Street Expressway" growing up in Wilmington. I snipped the 1982 article that outlines the 12th Street Connector from the Delaware Turnpike Scrapbook and have it here:

www.aaroads.com/forum_images/mid-atlantic/12th_st_connector.pdf



jeffandnicole

Quote from: MASTERNC on June 03, 2014, 10:26:43 PM
What did DelDOT do when I-495 was closed for reconstruction before and all traffic was diverted to I-95?  Seems like if this is going to be a multi-week closure during the summer, perhaps some temporary widening should be done.

In some areas, widening isn't possible due to limited shoulder widths. And since widening often means taking out lanes or reducing lane widths to widen a road, that would only further add to the problem, not help it. Plus, it would all need to be designed, which can take weeks at best, and I'm sure resources would be better spent on designing something for 495 at this point.

Quote
I heard stories that I-95 was backed all the way onto I-476 in PA.  Given how bad weekend traffic can be during the summer, this will be an area to avoid.  Long distance traffic to Philly might want to consider picking up US 1 in Maryland.

476 to the 95/495 split is 7 miles. I wish my commute's normal congestion was that short! Many days, 295 in NJ can be backed up for 14 miles! (Rt. 38 to 42).

There's no one answer for bypassing 495. The NJ Turnpike, 295, 95, 130, 13, 141, 202, 1, & 83 are all valid N-S routes that can be used, depending on start/end points, time of day, congestion, etc.

ixnay

Google maps is showing 495 as ending at Terminal Av. and at 12th St.  Doesn't show the bridge at all.

ixnay
The Washington/Baltimore/Arlington CSA has two Key Bridges, a Minnesota Avenue, and a Mannasota Avenue.

jeffandnicole

Sometimes, people make changes a little too quick to Google Maps.  While it doesn't show the road there (interesting find, btw), it will still give directions utilizing the closed portion of 495. 

froggie

Are the shoulders on I-95 wide enough for a 3rd lane without adding pavement width?  I ask because when the I-35W bridge collapsed, MnDOT was able to repave and shoehorn in an extra lane on I-94 (using the shoulders and narrower lanes) in less than 3 weeks.

Alex4897

#32
The below grade portion of I-95 through downtown has a wide left shoulder capable of holding another lane.
👉😎👉

Henry

After reading about this, I find it terrifying to think what might happen if it doesn't get rebuilt, like cars falling into the river below.
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jeffandnicole

The biggest issue with 95 appears to be close to Exit 6 (ML King Drive), where the shoulder gets a bit narrow in an area of several accel/decel lanes and curves.  There's also constuction going on near 202 which, while getting close to completion, may have some areas that are unusable.  Shoehorning could be done - very tight in some areas - and it would eliminate nearly all accel/decel lanes and shoulder width.  Any breakdown or incident would have a huge effect on the entire highway.

Personally, if I was DelDOT, I would encourage alternate routes, including into NJ.  Because of the toll situation, DelDOT could offer some sort of toll reimbursement or toll discount thru EZ Pass to encourage the use of the detour.  (The downside is that could increase traffic on my commute...and those Delawarians seem to enjoy being LLDs, which would aggravate me even more!!!)

BrianP

QuoteThe problem was discovered by crews working on an unrelated project.
That surprised me.  I was assuming this was found during a routine bridge inspection.

QuoteAccording to DelDOT, Bridge 1-813 over the Christina is a concrete deck on steel beams, built in 1974. DelDOT says it was last inspected in October 2012, and bridges of this type are inspected every two years.
So an inspection was due this year.  Would it have been in time if this was not discovered prior?  :hmmm:
I'd assume that this bridge will have to be inspected at least yearly going forward. 

QuoteDelDOT says they received a report about an anomaly with a column late Friday. An inspection crew was sent out Monday morning. Additionally, DelDOT says a notification was received from a DelDOT Equipment Operator Monday morning who noticed a shifting of the concrete barrier on the road surface.
Wow.  Something worse could have happened over the weekend if there was a backup. 

QuoteIn a worst-case scenario, such as a crash that forced traffic to back up and stall in both directions on the six-lane bridge, certain parts of it might not be able to handle the weight load within acceptable safety standards, officials said.

http://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/local/south-jersey/2014/06/04/crucial-east-coast-highway-bridge-closed/9947247/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin=

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2014/06/02/i-495-to-close-at-6pm-at-bridge-1-813-over-christina-river/

PHLBOS

Quote from: jeffandnicole on June 04, 2014, 10:07:42 AMLLDs
Could you please elaborate?  Googling LLD yields many definitions without any of them being road or driving related.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

Alex4897

Quote from: BrianP on June 04, 2014, 10:39:49 AM
Would it have been in time if this was not discovered prior?  :hmmm:

This quote from the Delaware Online article suggests that it would not have been in time:

QuoteDue to the increased load, "in its current position, the bridge can support its own weight; however, it is not capable of supporting a full traffic load," said Barry Roecker, deputy chief engineer for the contractor, AECOM.
👉😎👉

jeffandnicole

Quote from: PHLBOS on June 04, 2014, 10:42:23 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on June 04, 2014, 10:07:42 AMLLDs
Could you please elaborate?  Googling LLD yields many definitions without any of them being road or driving related.

LLD = Left Lane Dick.

Some will use LLR (Left Lane Richard).

Quote from: Alex4897 on June 04, 2014, 10:48:04 AM
Quote from: BrianP on June 04, 2014, 10:39:49 AM
Would it have been in time if this was not discovered prior?  :hmmm:

This quote from the Delaware Online article suggests that it would not have been in time:

QuoteDue to the increased load, "in its current position, the bridge can support its own weight; however, it is not capable of supporting a full traffic load," said Barry Roecker, deputy chief engineer for the contractor, AECOM.

Reading Delaware Online's story today, they had interviewed a few people that said on Friday they felt like their driving expereience was a bit awkward on that bridge.  Now it's tough to say if these people were speaking because everyone has mentioned Friday as the day this issue was discovered, or if some sort of event occurred which caused the bridge to suddenly shift within a matter of days, rather than over a period of time.

Pete from Boston

LLD, of course, must mreter to the ubiquitous phenomenon of drivers whose answer to heavy traffic is to tailgate every car in the left lane until they move, essentially using threats of collision to make congestion part for their anointed selves.  They seem to grow on trees here.  Must be tough to have a life where whatever you need to get to is more important than everyone else's safety. 

ChezeHed81

Southbound at the I-295 split, it would help if DelDOT restriped the left shoulder between the I-295 ramp gore and the added lanes from I-495 to create a third through lane on I-95, increasing throughput by hopefully 50%±.  Since traffic, for the "indefinite future" will be greatly reduced on 495, those lanes could be reduced to one before joining I-95.  The traffic heading south out of Wilmington during peak periods is already plagued by volume under "normal" conditions.

If the "EXIT ONLY" portion of the signs on I-95 SB for I-295 were covered with "LEFT EXIT" or some other appropriate message, it would help to state this lane has become an option lane, while on I-495, construction barrels and temporary VMSes would be sufficient to handle the lane reduction.

I understand that a knee-jerk reaction to a short-term situation would be a costly endeavor, but if the closure were to last for an extended time (let the reader use his/her own judgement), loosening up the bottle-neck at this location would be very helpful.

lepidopteran

I am not an engineer, but I noticed that these bridges use a single, wide pier with a v-shaped cap at every support point. This is a pretty standard design on dry land, especially for the likes of interchange flyover ramps.  But bridges similar to this one in places with a high water table like Florida, there are often these supplemental, stick-like columns jutting out from the sides of where the bridge pier meets the deck at about a 20° angle (to the vertical).  It would seem to me that angled supports would prevent a bridge from tilting.  Perhaps this bridge could be retrofitted as such, or, if that's not practical, (or if things are too far gone and it needs to be rebuilt altogether) any new structure should include these angled beams.

Another question I have, not just for here, but for any stretch of highway that needs to be elevated for whatever reason, is: when does it become more practical to put the highway on a viaduct, as opposed to a raised earthen berm (either with or without mechanically-stabilized earth reinforcement)?   In which case, actual bridges are limited to locations where traffic of one form or another needs to pass under.

1995hoo

Quote from: jeffandnicole on June 04, 2014, 08:19:42 AM
Sometimes, people make changes a little too quick to Google Maps.  While it doesn't show the road there (interesting find, btw), it will still give directions utilizing the closed portion of 495. 

This seems to have been fixed. I just asked it for a routing from DC to Philadelphia and it used I-95 through Wilmington and not the now-closed segment of I-495.

It's a well-intentioned gesture, but of course a lot of people on the road will be relying on their sat-navs rather than on Google Maps, so the real test will be to see how many of them can manage to do something as simple as reading the signs!
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

SteveG1988

One thing i noticed due to this was the way DE and NJ handle bridge construction for simple girder spans, at least in the 1970s.

NJ 1974 Girder bridge I-295 Rancocas Creek, wider than the 495 one.




I-495 bridge in DE



Delaware seems to use slimmer pillars on their girder spans, would this have anything to do with why the bridge tilted, having a much narrower pier?
Roads Clinched

I55,I82,I84(E&W)I88(W),I87(N),I81,I64,I74(W),I72,I57,I24,I65,I59,I12,I71,I77,I76(E&W),I70,I79,I85,I86(W),I27,I16,I97,I96,I43,I41,

jeffandnicole

Pics of the VMS signage on 13 North/40 East approaching 295. Taken on Monday evening shortly after the closure of 495:




MASTERNC

Quote from: ChezeHed81 on June 04, 2014, 02:41:38 PM
Southbound at the I-295 split, it would help if DelDOT restriped the left shoulder between the I-295 ramp gore and the added lanes from I-495 to create a third through lane on I-95, increasing throughput by hopefully 50%±.  Since traffic, for the "indefinite future" will be greatly reduced on 495, those lanes could be reduced to one before joining I-95.  The traffic heading south out of Wilmington during peak periods is already plagued by volume under "normal" conditions.

If the "EXIT ONLY" portion of the signs on I-95 SB for I-295 were covered with "LEFT EXIT" or some other appropriate message, it would help to state this lane has become an option lane, while on I-495, construction barrels and temporary VMSes would be sufficient to handle the lane reduction.

I understand that a knee-jerk reaction to a short-term situation would be a costly endeavor, but if the closure were to last for an extended time (let the reader use his/her own judgement), loosening up the bottle-neck at this location would be very helpful.

The bigger issue is the right lane exits for DE 141, leaving only 1 thru lane southbound.  I agree they should re-stripe to create a second thru lane (take one off of the I-495 merge temporarily).

Also, doesn't I-95 have a 13'6" clearance (at least going northbound - there are flashing warning signs)?  I imagine large trucks either have to detour through the city or go way out of their way.

PHLBOS

Quote from: SteveG1988 on June 04, 2014, 05:04:21 PM
One thing i noticed due to this was the way DE and NJ handle bridge construction for simple girder spans, at least in the 1970s.

NJ 1974 Girder bridge I-295 Rancocas Creek, wider than the 495 one.




I-495 bridge in DE



Delaware seems to use slimmer pillars on their girder spans, would this have anything to do with why the bridge tilted, having a much narrower pier?
I was thinking similar.  In PA, most if not all single-pillar supported structures (I-95 near the airport, I-476 & SEPTA's Airport line (that crosses over I-95 near PHL)) all feature significantly wider (& rectangular) pillars.

Closer to Center City, the I-95 viaducts (built around the same time-frame as that I-495 bridge in DE) are supported by three slender pillars per section.  The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (US 13 in VA) has 3 pillars per support section as well.

Two questions would be:

1.  Are there any other bridge structures that have the same support design as the I-495 bridge? 

2.  If so, have those experieced similar tilting?

The above could indeed be a long-term flaw with the support design.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

cpzilliacus

DelawareOnline.COM: Contractor says dirt piles were placed at I-495 bridge

QuoteWILMINGTON — A Wilmington contractor said Wednesday his company previously placed mounds of dirt alongside I-495 that now are part of a state investigation into how support piers on a span over the Christina River shifted, forcing officials to close the bridge for emergency work.

Quote"Only thing I can tell you right now is I feel very badly about what happened to the bridge. I have absolutely no idea what happened," Jim Thomas, the owner of Keogh Contracting Co., said by phone Wednesday.

Quote"I'm going to cooperate 100 percent with DelDOT, and I have been since Monday when I found out about this."

QuoteEngineers for the Delaware Department of Transportation believe the mounds of dirt set alongside the leaning piers could have had a role in compacting soft soils beneath the surface. Another possibility, DelDOT says, is corrosion of the steel piling, which reaches 140 to 160 feet below the surface to anchor in bedrock.

Quote"It's too early to tell if it's a factor," Transportation Secretary Shailen Bhatt said of the dirt mounds. "Most of the folks who took a look at this say that something of that mass, of that height and weight, could certainly have an effect on compression. That's why we want to get the dirt out of there."

QuoteDelDOT is in the early phases of determining what caused the subsurface shifting of four pairs of 50-foot-tall bridge supports, called piers.
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Mergingtraffic

Quote from: cpzilliacus on June 05, 2014, 12:21:29 PM
DelawareOnline.COM: Contractor says dirt piles were placed at I-495 bridge

QuoteWILMINGTON – A Wilmington contractor said Wednesday his company previously placed mounds of dirt alongside I-495 that now are part of a state investigation into how support piers on a span over the Christina River shifted, forcing officials to close the bridge for emergency work.

Quote"Only thing I can tell you right now is I feel very badly about what happened to the bridge. I have absolutely no idea what happened," Jim Thomas, the owner of Keogh Contracting Co., said by phone Wednesday.

Quote"I'm going to cooperate 100 percent with DelDOT, and I have been since Monday when I found out about this."

QuoteEngineers for the Delaware Department of Transportation believe the mounds of dirt set alongside the leaning piers could have had a role in compacting soft soils beneath the surface. Another possibility, DelDOT says, is corrosion of the steel piling, which reaches 140 to 160 feet below the surface to anchor in bedrock.

Quote"It's too early to tell if it's a factor," Transportation Secretary Shailen Bhatt said of the dirt mounds. "Most of the folks who took a look at this say that something of that mass, of that height and weight, could certainly have an effect on compression. That's why we want to get the dirt out of there."

QuoteDelDOT is in the early phases of determining what caused the subsurface shifting of four pairs of 50-foot-tall bridge supports, called piers.

so could dirt piles really be the cause?  or is it the media finding a scapegoat?  I just find it hard to believe piles of dirt can cause a bridge to shift.
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jeffandnicole

Quote from: doofy103 on June 05, 2014, 12:49:06 PM
so could dirt piles really be the cause?  or is it the media finding a scapegoat?  I just find it hard to believe piles of dirt can cause a bridge to shift.

Apparently it's a LOT of dirt.  I've heard well over 100 truckloads, and piled upwards of 2 stories high. When the tilting issue was first discovered, DelDOT immediately requested the removal of the dirt, so it's not something the media came up with a few days after the fact.



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