October 2003 Volume 14, No 10PRECAST CONCRETE ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK, INC.

Precast Concrete Associationof New York, Inc. 706 Quaker Lane, Delanson, New York 12053 Tel: 518-895-8352 Facs: 518-895-2329 Email: pcany@aol.com Web: www.pcany.org

Carl Buchman, PE: Exec DirectorMary Ellen Yankosky: Admin DirectorEdward Hourigan, PE: Tech DirectorHarold Nelson, PE: NL Editor

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Spliced I-girders span 172 ftover Jersey shore waterway

A new multi-span crossing over the SharkRiver in Monmouth County, NJ, is being con-structed with modified AASHTO I-Girders.The main span of 172' with two cantileveranchor spans of 25' and a drop in girder of122' is shown in the photo above.

The bridge replacement project is locatedon Route 35 near Red Bank and is beingconstructed in two phases in order to maintaintraffic in the busy shore area. The girdersbear on cast in place hammerhead piers.Erection is being accomplished with bargemounted cranes. Girders are delivered bytruck on the existing bridge for phase 1, whichwill be removed during the 2nd phase of theproject. The 2nd phase will be erected in asimilar fashion.

A total of 194 girders are required on the 15span structure. Spans vary in length from 98'to 113'. Girder sections vary in depth from 63"to 78" and in weight from approximately 52tons to 63 tons depending on the span. Thecantilever girders shown, vary in depth from78" to 120" over the bearing and weigh ap-proximately 110 tons. Concrete strength forthe girders was 5,000 psi for release of strand,and 6,100 psi ultimate at 28 days.

Temporary post-tensioning was used inthe cantilever girders for handling and ship-ping and removed prior to erection. Elasto-meric bearings support the drop in girders.Multi-rotational pot bearings support the can-tilever girders over the piers.

By using a drop-in girder with dapped ends,the designer was able to avoid temporarysupports for erection, that would have beenhigh and costly in an area with busy marinetraffic. The bridge will provide 50' clearanceover the channel. Cast-in-place diaphragms,to develop continuity, will be located over theconnection between the drop-in and cantile-ver girders. Diaphragms with 2" expansionjoints, will be located over piers at the ends ofeach cantilever girder to form the three spancontinuous unit.

The New Jersey Department of Transpor-tation is the owner of the bridge and Hardestyand Hanover the engineer. Morse Diesel isthe general contractor and AMEC Civil isperforming the erection. Schuylkill Productscast the girders at their plant located in Cres-sona, PA. The girders were delivered to thesite on six axle steerable Jeep trailers andspecial Peterbuilt 4 axle tractors. ❏

The first drop in girder is erected for bridge in New Jersey. photo by Schuylkill Products

Partnershipmeetings ofpcany & nysdot

Joint partnership meetings of PCANY andthe NYSDOT Materials Bureau and Struc-tures Division were held on September 18that the DOT Engineering Offices in Albany. Avariety of topics were covered in the twoagendas as follows;

Materials Meeting:1. Precast QC/QA program

• Status of plant approvals, startups, problems• Procedure for revising QC Plans• BR 10, QCQA Audit Report• Training inspectors, NPCA QA/QC schedule• Q-Cast Certification for pipe producers

2. Air Void Analyzer (AVA)• Projections for future use

3. Shop Drawings• New procedure for fabrication drawings• Drawing certification

4. Concrete Batch Plants• Scale / measurement requirements

5. Drainage Units• Quality improvement of PPQAP drainage units• Status of riband, flexible connectors issues• Round top designs, need for standardization

6. Miscellaneous Topics• Maximum temp for cold weather curing• Self-compacting concrete, value engineering,problems with DOT payment for stored material

Structures Meeting:1. Partnership with precast industry

• Overview of recent accomplishments2. High Performance Concrete (HPC)

• Status of approved mix designs, testing andapproval process, process for changes toapproved mix design, future projects with HPC• New EI for standardizing HPC• Increasing design strength of deck concrete

3. Three sided and box culvert update• Status of new EI and BDs• Box culvert design standardization

4. Bulb-tees and spliced bulb-tees• Review of recent projects• Issues related to erection drawings

5. Overview of new BDs for PS bridge beams6. Fabrication and quality control issues

• Design changes and drawing problems• Handling problems• Variations with drawings and plant operations

7. Miscellaneous Topics• Use of SCC for prestressed members• Use of Value Engineering• Problems with DOT payment for storedmaterial ❏

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PRECAST CONCRETE ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK October 2003 MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Page 2

Calendar of Upcoming Fall Meetings:

Oct 8 - Oct 10 DBIA Design-Build Conference, Gaylord Palms Convention Ctr, Orlando, FLInfo and Res: 202-682-0110

Oct 19 - Oct 22 PCI / FHWA Annual Convention / HPC Sym, Renaissance Resort, Orlando, FLInfo: info@pci.org Res: 800-327-6677

Oct 31 - Nov 3 NPCA Industry Outlook Conference, Grandover Resort, Greensboro, NCInfo: 800-366-7731 Res: 800-472-6301

Nov 3 - Nov 4 ASBI Annual Convention, Hyatt Regency, Dallas, TXInfo and Res: 602-997-9964 www.asbi-assoc.org

Nov 12 - Nov 15 ASCE 2003 Civil Engineering Conf and Expo., Gaylord Conv Ctr, Nashville, TNInfo and Res: www.asce.org/conferences/annual03

Construction sequence for spliced girdersThe above details are a hypothetical con-

struction sequence taken from NYSDOT draw-ing BD-PC25. They are shown for the de-signer, as an example of how three bulb teegirder sections could be spliced for a two spancontinuous girder bridge. The details are in-

cluded with bulb-tee details but would beapplicable for other sections such as I-gird-ers. The cast-in-place splice details show a250 mm wide butt joint with double shear keysand post-tensioning cables The joint is notmatch cast. ❏

State-of-the-artspliced girderbridges reviewedin PCI paper

The state-of-the-art for design and con-struction of spliced girder bridges is reviewedin a summary paper, published in the July-August 1992 issue of the PCI Journal. Pre-stressed spliced girder bridges are specifiedfor one or more of the following reasons:

• To increase the span capabilities of agiven section.

• To achieve continuity over piers.• To overcome transportation limitations

for girder segments

Spans in the range of 150' to 280' are madepossible by splicing, thus making pretensionedI-beams (or other sections) competitive withsteel in the medium span range traditionallyreserved for steel.

A survey aimed at gathering information onthe state-of-the-art of spliced girder bridgeswas conducted. Information on more than 40bridges, using several splicing techniques, isincluded. Even though the paper is now 10years old, important trends were noted in thesurvey. One of the most important was toeliminate all deck joints, including those atabutments by providing integral abutments.

The use of I-girders and bulb-tee girderswith optimum sections for negative and posi-tive moment is more common. The use ofhigh strength concrete and light weight con-crete deck panels is also noted in the report.The full report is available on the PCI websiteat www.pci.org. ❏

Deep girder bridges with long spans do notdevelop large positive restraint moments fromcreep and shrinkage according to a paperpublished in the July-August 2003 issue of thePCI Journal. It is possible to design girders forfull or near-full continuity for superimposedloads without these relatively large restraintmoments. A software program in conjunctionwith ACI 209R-92 provides a simple methodfor computing these restraint moments.

For shallower girders with expected girderages of 30 days or less, the authors recom-mend ignoring continuity and designing thegirders as simple spans. To achieve near fullcontinuity, girder age should be approximately90 days or older. ❏

Girder bridges,restraint, creepand shrinkage

PRECAST CONCRETE ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK October 2003 MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Page 3

3

Oneida LakeBridge, openedin 1960 with a320' center span

The Oneida Lake Bridge, opened for trafficin 1960 with a 320' center span and was oneof the first designs to use spliced girders andachieve continuity from abutment to abut-ment. The bridge is actually two three-spanbridges, one for north and one for southboundtraffic on I-81, which runs from Binghamton toCanada. The bridges are only 460' long, butthe center spans set a record when they wereconstructed over the Barge Canal in Brewertonat the west end of Oneida Lake.

There are six cantilever girders in eachbridge, which span 72' over the piers. The fivesuspended span center girders in each bridge,are 231' long and overlap the cantilever gird-ers for a 27' splice at each end. Counter-weights are located over the abutments toextend the center spans. Critical details areshown in the diagram below.

Girders cast on jobsiteAll of the 24 cantilever girders and 10

suspended span girders were cast on the jobsite by the general contractor. The end spanswere rolled from casting beds on each end totheir location on the abutments and piers.The suspended girders were rolled to a barge,floated to location, and then lifted as shown inthe photo above. The cantilever girders,which are 147' long and vary up to 14' indepth, each weighed 250 tons. The sus-pended span girders were 8'-6 in depth andweighed 222 tons.

Located on an interstate highway down-wind from Lake Ontario, the bridge is sub-jected to frequent and severe exposure eachwinter including heavy snowfall, multiplefreeze-thaw cycles, and frequent and heavyapplications of deicing salts, The bridge ap-pears to be performing well however.

Continuity of the designThe continuity of the design and the rela-

tively large mass of the bridge with CIP dia-phragms and abutment counterweights havemade the deck relatively watertight with littleevidence of leaking. Its scuppers are castiron; its bearings and downspouts are stain-less steel; and the wearing course is bitumi-nous concrete that was common at the time ofconstruction.

Bearings at the abutments and piers areunique, since they are positioned under cast-in-place diaphragms located between thecantilever girders. Short post-tensioningcables were positioned from the girders to thediaphragms and tensioned after the dia-phragms were cast. After post-tensioningand accurate positioning of the bearings, 24"diameter sand jacks, that were used for initialsupport of the girders, were opened to lowerthe bridge to the permanent bearings.

Terry Contracting was GCThe bridge is owned by the New York State

Department of Transportation. The Engineerwas Summers, Munninger and Molke fromAlbany. The General Contractor was TerryContracting Corp from New York City. ❏

photo from ENR, March 31, 1960

October 2003 PCANY MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Page 4

Producer Member Companies:AFCO Precast, Middle Island, NY 11953A & R Conc Specialties, New Windsor, NY 12550Bayshore Conc Prod, Cape Charles, VA 23310Binghamton Precast Supply, Binghamton, NY 13901Blakeslee Prestress, Branford, CT 06405Carrara & Sons, Middlebury, VT 05753Coastal Pipeline Products, Calverton, NY 11933William E. Dailey, Shaftsbury, VT 05262The Fort Miller Co, Schuylerville, NY 12871Hanson Pipe and Products, Pottstown, PA 19464Jefferson Concrete, Watertown, NY 13601Kistner Conc Products, East Pembroke, NY 14056Newcrete Products, Parsippany, NJ 07054Oldcastle Precast, Manchester, NY 14504Oldcastle Precast, South Bethlehem, NY 12161Riefler Concrete Products, Hamburg, NY 14075Roman Stone Construction Co, Bay Shore, NY 11706Rotondo Precast, Avon, CT 06001Schuylkill Products, Cresona, PA 17929Unistress Corp., Pittsfield, MA 01201LC Whitford Co., Wellsville, NY 14895

Associate Member Companies:A-Lok Products, Tullytown, PA 19007Amcrete Products, Newburgh, NY 12550Con/Span Bridge Systems, Dayton, OH 45420Cresset Chemical Co, Weston, OH 43569Dayton Richmond Corp, Collinsville, CT 06022Eastern States Steel, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458Engineered Wire Prod, Upper Sandusky, OH 43351W R Grace, Cambridge, MA 02140Helser Industries, Tualatin, OR 97062Henry Co Sealants, Houston, TX 77020H & H Hulls, Hudson, NY 12534Insteel Wire Products, Blairstown, NJ 07825JVI Inc, Pittsfield, MA 01201Meadow Burke, Merrimack, NY 03054NPC Inc, Milford, NH 03055A L Patterson, Fallsington, PA 19054PCI New England, Belmont, MA 02178Polylok Inc, Yalesville, CT 06492Press-Seal Gasket, Fort Wayne IN 46852Rebar Systems, Cotuit, MA 02635Resicon USA, Bradford, NH 03221Spillman Company, Columbus, OH 43207Splice Sleeve N A, Bonita Springs, FL 34134Stormwater Management, Princeton, MA 01541

Professional Member Firms:Abate Engineers, Buffalo, NY 14225ABC Engineering, Rotonda West, FL 33947Barton & Loguidice, Syracuse, NY 13220Bay Saver Inc, Mount Airy, MD 21771Bergmann Associates, Rochester, NY 14614A L Blades, Hornell, NY 14843Clough Harbour & Assoc, Albany, NY 122056Con/Span Bridge Systems, Clifton Park, NY 12065John S Deerkoski & Assoc, Warwick, NY 10990Delta Engineers, Binghamton, NY 13901Dewbury, Rochester, NY 14604DiDonato Associates, Buffalo, NY 14224FRA Engineering, Henrietta, NY 14467Hobbs Upchurch Assoc, Raleigh, NC 27606Hunt Engineers & Archs, Horseheads, NY 14845LaBella Associates PC, Rochester, NY 14614LEAP Assoc International, Tampa, FL 16007Maser Consulting, West Nyack, NY 10994McFarland Johnson, Binghamton, NY 13902MHW, Utica, NY 13501Parsons Trans Group, New York, NY 10005Popli Consulting Engineers, Penfield, NY 14526Pratt & Huth, Williamsville, NY 14221Prudent Engr Group LLP, East Syracuse, NY 13057Prymus Consulting, Bayport, NY 11705Ryan Biggs Associates, Troy, NY 12180A H Sample Engineers, Ottsville, PA 18942R Samsel Engineers, Henrietta, NY 14467Spectra Engineering, Latham, NY 12110TVGA Consultants, Elma, NY 14059Edward Watts Engrs, Williamsville, NY 14221Wilbur Smith Assoc, Latham, NY 12110H Wilden Assoc, Allentown, PA 18106

Officers, Directors and StaffPresident: Jay Abbey, Binghamton PrecastSecretary: Scott Harrigan, The Fort Miller CoTreasurer: Rick Martel, Unistress CorpAssociate Director: Andy LaMothe, A L PattersonProf Director: Scott Chenet, Barton & LaGuidiceImmediate Past Pres: Tony Mazzeo, Oldcastle PrecastExecutive Director: Carl BuchmanAdministrative Director: Mary Ellen YankowskyTechnical Director: Ed HouriganNewsletter Editor: Harold Nelson

Precast Concrete Associationof New York, Inc.706 Quaker LaneDelanson, NY 12053

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Oneida Lake Bridge was astandoff by steel companies:

views by the editor

The Oneida Lake Bridge (see page 3) hadoriginally been planned, designed and ap-proved for letting by the New York StateDepartment of Public Works, NYSDPW, (be-fore DOT) as a tied arch steel span. No bidswere received on the first letting, since bidswould have exceeded the engineer's esti-mate of $1,963,000. No bids were receivedon the second letting also, since they wouldhave exceeded the engineer's new estimateof $2,204,000. It was a standoff betweenDPW and the steel companies, and the wordwas out, they would not bid unless the esti-mate were raised to at least $2,300,000.

Carol F Blanchard was Deputy Chief Engi-neer for Bridges for NYSDPW at that time andvery upbeat on prestressed concrete for thedepartment's bridge program. He reacted asyou might expect; authorized studies for aprestressed design, and a final design wassoon underway. Four bids were received on

the alternate design for prestressed concrete.According to ENR of March 31, 1960, bidsfrom the three lowest bidders were within$30,000 of each other, and the contract wasawarded to Terry Contracting Co from NewYork City for $1.7 million.

Eric Molke was the principal of Summers,Munninger and Molke, in Albany, who de-signed the alternate PS structure. Mr. Molkehad received his engineering degree andworked briefly in Austria before he emigratedto the US. He possessed the ability of all goodengineers to simplify complex problems andresolve constructible solutions. The OneidaLake Bridge was designed with a slide rule,before the days of computers or even calcu-lators. Ed Hourigan, our Tech Director whowas a design engineer in DPW at the time andlater became Deputy Chief Engineer himself,was assigned to check Mr. Molke's calcula-tions. For more details talk to Ed. ❏