ODOT awards rapid-construction bridge contract
BY JARREL WADE World Staff Writer
Monday, December 03, 2012
OKLAHOMA CITY -- A bridge near Mannford will be the Oklahoma Department of
Transportation’s testing ground for the state’s first rapid-construction
bridge project and will disrupt traffic at the site for just 21
days, transportation officials announced Monday.
Officials announced the $3.8 million project at the monthly meeting of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation commission. The project will cost more to build than if traditional methods had been used but will result in net savings when compared to typical bridge projects, which typically disrupt traffic for months, officials said.
The process, which has been successfully used in other states, involves
pre-fabricating the new bridge next to the existing one.
Construction crews then dismantle the old bridge and move the new one into
position in a matter of days, said Tulsa region ODOT Engineer Randle White.
State Transportation Secretary Gary Ridley said the process comes with
additional costs for each project, as well as some startup costs because it's the first project of its kind. However, the rapid-construction process will be easier on drivers
who are affected by detours and traffic disruptions for months, he said.
“We have been in the rapid-bridge construction business in the past,”
Ridley said. “This is a newer twist to it where you're able to build it
offsite.”
The project is planned for Oklahoma Highway 51 over Cottonwood Creek about
8.5 miles east of Oklahoma Highway 99. It was awarded to Manhattan Road and
Bridge, to be completed with 21 days of traffic disruption,
according to ODOT records.
White said the entire construction project will take about six months,
including the three weeks of traffic disruption.
White said traditional construction on similar projects takes about nine months and traffic is disrupted for the entire project.
The rapid-construction bridge process will be used occasionally and will not become a
standard for how ODOT replaces bridges, he said.
Also at Monday’s meaning, Ridley warned drivers to be aware of construction
crews on Oklahoma highways this winter. Because the weather has been mild and continues to look like it will be
mild, Ridley said more crews are out working when holiday travel is peaking.
