Del. I-495 emergency closure

[ixnay]

The columns seem to be slightly rebounding, if you don't ask "Bob Germanovich" in the comments under this article...

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Dirt-Removed-Delaware-Bridge-Columns-Rebound-262446941.html

Bob Germanovich ·  Top Commenter · Multi Sport Athlete at Globex Corp

Not sure I'm convinced that the columns are rebounding after that dirt is removed, and if they are then they are too loose in their footings to begin with.

ixnay

[Alex]

I-495 bridge piers rebound with dirt's removal

The Delaware Department of Transportation moved a step closer to identifying a massive dirt pile next to the closed I-495 bridge as the cause, or one of the causes, of the span's compromised support piers.

Removal of the 55,000-ton dirt pile was expected to be completed Monday. Over the weekend, as dirt was removed, the piers rebounded by 0.1 percent. Officials estimated that the bridge had been as much as 4 degrees out of vertical alignment.

In its daily update, DelDOT wrote, "This provides further evidence that the weight of the dirt could have contributed to the lateral displacement of the soil."

[Duke87]

Dirt. A freaking pile of dirt.

Lovely how the simplest, most innocent things can cause the biggest screw-ups, isn't it?

[rickmastfan67]

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Dirt-Removed-Delaware-Bridge-Columns-Rebound-262446941.html

I find this section of that article interesting.....

But a local businessman called 911 almost two months ago to report that concrete barriers separating the bridge's northbound and southbound lanes, which are supposed to be level with each other, had separated in elevation by as much as a foot.

Wonder why they didn't respond like Wisconsin did with the report of the dip on the I-43 bridge.....

[D-Dey65]

It could be a good time to make the Christina River crossing a toll bridge! 

That would spoil it's bragging rights as "The Through Route to Philadelphia" and ...Baltimore," though.

[Alps]

Dirt. A freaking pile of dirt.

Lovely how the simplest, most innocent things can cause the biggest screw-ups, isn't it?

A glorified pile of dirt crashed I-35W into the river.

[ixnay]

Looks like 495 will be closed all summer, maybe longer...

http://wdel.com/story.php?id=60062

ixnay

[jeffandnicole]

Another story regarding the emergency construction for I-495:

http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/traffic/2014/06/10/delaware-bridge-closed-summer/10282123/

A few notes from here:

A) What they're doing to shore up the bridge and foundation has been acknolwedged as a plan that may not work.  They're going to work with this for a few weeks.  If it's determined it's not a workable plan (probably due to the soft soils which had a role in the tilting in the first place) then they're going to have to rebuild the bridge (or at least a portion of it).

B) Of the 8 affected piers, 4 will need to be replaced entirely.  But this can be done after the temporary stuff is in place.

C) The Tappen Zee Bridge is playing a part in the emergency construction:

Through Zoli's connections, contractors reconstructing the 3-mile-long Tappan Zee Bridge over the Hudson River north of New York City decided this week to divert materials custom made for the Tappan Zee project to Delaware.

This saves DelDOT the six to eight weeks it would take to fabricate steel "cages" that will reinforce 4-foot-wide shafts drilled into the ground, Bhatt said. The cages are en route from Oklahoma and Washington state, said engineer Gregory D. Burkhart, vice president of the construction firm J.D. Eckman Inc.

D) The chosen company to do the repairs is basically an expert in the region for handling emergency repairs: J.D. Eckman Inc. of Atglen, Pa. — completed emergency repairs for the I-95 bridge over the Brandywine Creek, carried out a multi-year jacking up of the I-95 viaduct in Wilmington to replace critical support parts, and executed the two-day replacement of a 15-foot-high column at Aramingo Avenue in Philly that had forced the shutdown of a 3-mile stretch of road.

E) Restriping I-95 between 495 and 295 is a definite possibility, "...this could potentially help ease congestion, returning the highway to its configuration during the 1990s, said Adam Weiser, director of traffic-safety programs."

[hbelkins]

Indiana did some restriping on I-265 -- most notably the ramp to I-65 south -- to accommodate the closure of the I-64 Sherman Minton Bridge a couple of years ago. Last time I was in the area, last summer, the striping had been returned to its original configuration but the remnant of the old striping was still evident. Which made me wonder why they didn't leave the temporary striping as it was to handle more traffic.

[cpzilliacus]

DelawareOnline.com: DelDOT braces for legal challenges over I-495

Delaware is assembling a legal team to manage fallout from damage to an I-495 bridge approach near the Port of Wilmington even as engineers race to shore up, repair and reopen the roadway.

DelDOT Secretary Shailen Bhatt said that the cause of the episode and repair effort could one day become a national case study for those involved in bridge maintenance and protection. It also could spawn a multitude of legal claims and court actions.

It also has prompted a check of other bridges, Bhatt said, along with a reassessment of the agency's right-of-way controls, inspection process and handling of calls about bridge problems.

[Pete from Boston]

Jeez, the first Tappan Zee Bridge had the Korean War draw off its steel supplies, now this one has its supplies diverted to a bridge in Delaware...  I guess if you're building a Tappan Zee Bridge, prepare to wait in line.

[Alps]

Well, the spate of new articles at least answers the question of what happened - the large pile of dirt shifted the soil, which deformed and eventually bent the steel piles away from vertical or even shifted them away from where they were. This happened over the course of 1-2 years. Toward the very end, enough of the piles had shifted and enough support was lost that the foundation could no longer bear the load of the bridge. The foundation then cracked and the pier settled. This is why the tilt was sudden despite the dirt pile being there for so long.

[Duke87]

So the proposed restriping, I take it, would mean to eliminate the shoulder through downtown and replace the acceleration lanes with yields, thus allowing 3 lanes continuous rather than it dropping to 2.

Lovely, but why only southbound?


Also, SEPTA should run more and/or longer trains out to Newark over the summer. Or is PA going to be damned if it lifts a finger to help solve Delaware's problem?

[jeffandnicole]

So the proposed restriping, I take it, would mean to eliminate the shoulder through downtown and replace the acceleration lanes with yields, thus allowing 3 lanes continuous rather than it dropping to 2.

Lovely, but why only southbound?

The possible restriping will only be well south of Downtown, from 495 to 295.  Leaving Wilmington, 95 is 3 lanes.  The left lane is an exit only lane for I-295 North. The right lane becomes an exit only lane for Rt. 141.  Thus, mainline I-95 only has one continuous lane.  A possible restriping would give I-95 2 lanes thru this stretch.

Also, SEPTA should run more and/or longer trains out to Newark over the summer. Or is PA going to be damned if it lifts a finger to help solve Delaware's problem?

SEPTA has this their own problems right now - they're talking about going on Strike!

I'm not sure what length trains they run, so I don't know if they can increase the length of those.  I haven't read either how much train ridership has increased since this incident began.

[ixnay]

So the proposed restriping, I take it, would mean to eliminate the shoulder through downtown and replace the acceleration lanes with yields, thus allowing 3 lanes continuous rather than it dropping to 2.

Lovely, but why only southbound?

The possible restriping will only be well south of Downtown, from 495 to 295.  Leaving Wilmington, 95 is 3 lanes.  The left lane is an exit only lane for I-295 North. The right lane becomes an exit only lane for Rt. 141.  Thus, mainline I-95 only has one continuous lane.  A possible restriping would give I-95 2 lanes thru this stretch.

Also, SEPTA should run more and/or longer trains out to Newark over the summer. Or is PA going to be damned if it lifts a finger to help solve Delaware's problem?

SEPTA has this their own problems right now - they're talking about going on Strike!

I'm not sure what length trains they run, so I don't know if they can increase the length of those.  I haven't read either how much train ridership has increased since this incident began.

Yes, possibly striking this weekend...

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=154870&start=120

http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/philadelphia-transportation-septa/40370-septa-engineers-authorize-strike.html

ixnay

[MASTERNC]

The possible restriping will only be well south of Downtown, from 495 to 295.  Leaving Wilmington, 95 is 3 lanes.  The left lane is an exit only lane for I-295 North. The right lane becomes an exit only lane for Rt. 141.  Thus, mainline I-95 only has one continuous lane.  A possible restriping would give I-95 2 lanes thru this stretch.

Agreed - that is a major bottleneck issue.  I tweeted this idea to DelDOT but did not hear back.

[MASTERNC]

The possible restriping will only be well south of Downtown, from 495 to 295.  Leaving Wilmington, 95 is 3 lanes.  The left lane is an exit only lane for I-295 North. The right lane becomes an exit only lane for Rt. 141.  Thus, mainline I-95 only has one continuous lane.  A possible restriping would give I-95 2 lanes thru this stretch.

Agreed - that is a major bottleneck issue.  I tweeted this idea to DelDOT but did not hear back.

Got our wish.

http://www.deldot.gov/home/newsroom/release.shtml?id=5179

[NJRoadfan]

Didn't DelDOT intentionally re-stripe I-95 there to "encourage" thru traffic to use I-495?

[ixnay]

The possible restriping will only be well south of Downtown, from 495 to 295.  Leaving Wilmington, 95 is 3 lanes.  The left lane is an exit only lane for I-295 North. The right lane becomes an exit only lane for Rt. 141.  Thus, mainline I-95 only has one continuous lane.  A possible restriping would give I-95 2 lanes thru this stretch.

Agreed - that is a major bottleneck issue.  I tweeted this idea to DelDOT but did not hear back.

Got our wish.

http://www.deldot.gov/home/newsroom/release.shtml?id=5179

Wonder if DelDOT would restripe 95 if a SEPTA strike weren't being threatened?   

ixnay

[KEVIN_224]

Sadly, that regional rail strike is happening, first time since 1983. I guess nobody will be taking the R2 line down to Wilmington and/or Newark anytime soon.

[MASTERNC]

Sadly, that regional rail strike is happening, first time since 1983. I guess nobody will be taking the R2 line down to Wilmington and/or Newark anytime soon.

Only lasted 24 hours - President Obama has formed an emergency board to mediate negotiations, which also triggers an 8-month moratorium on striking.

[ixnay]

Sadly, that regional rail strike is happening, first time since 1983. I guess nobody will be taking the R2 line down to Wilmington and/or Newark anytime soon.

Only lasted 24 hours - President Obama has formed an emergency board to mediate negotiations, which also triggers an 8-month moratorium on striking.

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2014/06/14/obama-intervenes-as-septa-regional-rail-strike-ends-service-resumes-sunday/

Fixed.

We now return this thread to our regularly scheduled highway topic.

ixnay

[ChezeHed81]

DelDOT restriped the left shoulder last night between I-295 and I-495.  Southbound traffic was flowing well this morning at 7:00.  Mornings, so far, have been generally free-flowing southbound, but as the day progresses, so does the delay.  I hope the added lane helps.


(Photo taken through side mirror.)

[Alex]

Typical DelDOT sign amending. Sloppy. 

[Alex4897]

Typical DelDOT sign amending. Sloppy. 

Not to mention they decided to ignore the one after it.