Keeping Virginia Moving
An ambitious project to restore nearly a dozen aging bridges on I–95 came in ahead of schedule and under budget—all while minimizing congestion. Here’s how it happened.
Talk about solving a riddle! How does an agency replace 11 bridges in Virginia’s capital region, all located at the confluence of two major interstates? Moreover, the structures--all 50 years old--carry four or five lanes of traffic and 150,000 vehicles per day. For additional complications, throw in overhead utility lines, a homeless population, shared rights-of-way with railroads, and construction over busy city streets. Also consider the major traffic impacts, which could overwhelm a regional area of active tourism and other businesses.
This is not just the story of the Interstate 95 Richmond Bridge Restorations project; this is how the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) overcame seemingly insurmountable challenges to complete the project successfully more than 3 months ahead of schedule and $16 million under budget.
Aging Bridges
In its long-term plans in the late 1990s, VDOT identified the aging bridges in the I–95 corridor in the Richmond, VA, region as candidates for major repairs and possible replacement. Thirteen area bridges were considered, but with budget constraints, VDOT replaced only two bridges over the following years, completing those structures in 2003.
Once VDOT identified funding to replace the remaining structures, multiple players at nearly every level of government in the city of Richmond and Henrico County worked together to find efficient and cost-effective solutions. Three main components--accelerated bridge construction, solid project management, and effective communication--contributed to the project’s success.
Accelerated Bridge Construction to the Rescue
Given the project’s location at the confluence of two major interstates, I–95 and I–64, and the volume of traffic carried by the two highways, VDOT officials knew that keeping congestion to a minimum would be key. Conventional construction would have required shutting down the interstates in each direction, which was out of the question. The user costs in traffic backups would have been enormous, and the potential delays for emergency services providers were simply too risky. Instead, the project team elected to use accelerated bridge construction, which enabled construction to progress onsite and offsite concurrently.
“The answer was clear,” says Scott Fisher, VDOT project manager. “We had to work when traffic volumes were lower, and complete as much work offsite as possible.”
Accelerated bridge construction, in this case, meant that sections of the new bridge superstructure were preconstructed at an offsite location as composite units, which were then transported to the worksite for final placement. The 11 bridges required 234 preconstructed composite units. The units, fabricated at a casting yard, were transferred into place during 10-hour windows each weeknight between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., when traffic volumes were lightest.
The casting yard provided unparalleled benefits for the project. Although finding a 25-acre (10-hectare) piece of land in an urban setting was difficult, VDOT identified three potential properties in advance of bidding to ensure the project’s constructability. The chosen site for the casting yard was managed by a full-time superintendent and inspectors to keep the work on schedule. The yard enabled crews to build and store preconstructed composite units in a controlled environment, where the safety hazards and pressures of high-volume traffic were nonexistent. The yard provided a safe zone for construction a few feet off the ground, as opposed to 30 feet (9 meters) in the air. Also, using the casting yard for construction allowed crews to accelerate productivity, focus on quality, and finish ahead of schedule.
Although helpful, the casting yard also presented its own challenges. Crews had to recreate each bridge’s substructure in the yard and then build the bridge superstructure to ensure an exact fit for when it was hauled to the site. Building the bridge superstructure sections offsite left little room for error.
“We lived by the motto ‘measure twice, cut once,’” Fisher explains. “We required two separate surveys of each section to be completed independently so that we would ensure that the bridge [superstructure] units would fit when we installed them. Even a couple of inches’ difference in one [preconstructed composite unit] could throw us off completely.”
Early each day at the casting yard, the construction team loaded the preconstructed composite sections onto large, 12-axle trailers and later took them to the replacement sites. During overnight lane closures, the team saw-cut the old bridge superstructure sections and used a pair of heavy cranes to lift them out of the way. The new preconstructed composite sections were then installed as the old units were carried away. Over time and with practice, the crews were able to replace two units instead of one each night as an added timesaver.
Months before installing the new units, crews made repairs to each bridge’s substructure, including the existing concrete pier caps and abutments. The repairs were needed due to the deteriorated condition of the substructure and the need to restore and extend the service life of the bridge substructure to match that of the new precast composite units. To extend the service life of the substructure, VDOT used a combination of electrochemical extraction of chloride, cathodic protection, high-performance self-consolidating concrete for concrete repairs, and other innovative construction methods.
As a result, VDOT expects that the combination of prefabricated bridge elements and systems for the superstructure and repairing the existing substructure will extend the service life of these bridges for at least 50 years and minimize future maintenance costs.
In addition to the repairs, three of the bridges had to be widened, which meant that nearly 50 permanent drilled shafts with an average depth of 55 feet (16.8 meters) were installed on this project.
If crews placed one preconstructed composite unit during an overnight shift, they would temporarily set several 2-inch (5-centimeter)-thick steel plates in the 30-inch (76-centimeter)-wide gap between the new preconstructed composite unit and the existing bridge section. This permitted smooth traffic flow until the next sections could be set. If a crew installed two sections during one shift, the contractor had to temporarily post-tension the two preconstructed composite units with a steel plate to ensure continuity between the two pieces. The construction crew performed final post-tensioning once they set the last preconstructed composite unit for each span.
Fitting the separate units together was a challenge. Eight of the eleven bridges were post-tensioned while the other three bridges had closure pours. The sections with closure pours could not be post-tensioned because of skewed angles greater than 20degrees. Instead, crews installed stainless steel rebar between the two preconstructed composite units and placed rapid-set concrete to achieve a compressive strength of 4,000 pounds per square inch (27,580 kilopascals). Traffic was able to drive over the new concrete within 2 hours after the closure pour.
Additional Construction Challenges
Although each bridge presented logistical challenges, the northbound and southbound Upham Brook bridges were especially difficult because of their location over water and directly under another bridge that is diagonal to the line of traffic. The crews had to be creative in removing the old bridge sections. They could not use two cranes, as they had for the other bridges where they used a crane on each end to lift the units evenly. Instead, the teams used combinations of hoist trolleys and cranes to complete the job.
Although accelerated bridge construction helped to minimize congestion, traffic management remained a challenge. To allow enough room to remove and install the bridge superstructure units, lane closures necessitated moving all traffic in one direction to the other side of the interstate around the work zone using crossovers and moveable concrete barriers. During the beginning of the project, installing and removing the barriers could take several hours of the overnight shift. By the end of the project, crews were able to install and remove the barriers much more quickly due to increased proficiency and practice over time.
Managing the Logistics
Extensive planning and research upfront helped save on contract change orders and provided an accurate scope of what the project would entail. “Before this project even began,” says Fisher, “I spent an entire year just researching these bridges. We surveyed, measured, studied, and looked at every inch of these structures for potential issues before the contract was even written.”
VDOT also gave the contractor a demonstration weekend, which provided an opportunity to make adjustments and fine-tune the construction process. This trial run helped to ensure that the contractor performed future replacements as efficiently as possible. In addition, VDOT carefully crafted the contract to proactively address issues and to create both incentives and disincentives for day-to-day and overall scheduling. A consulting firm performed a constructability review, prior to advertisement, to ensure that the project was constructible.
Building a strong project management team was vital to the project’s success. Scott Fisher was the sole VDOT project manager, which meant undivided focus on issues in the field, as well as overall project management. Fisher’s workload was limited to this project so that he could focus his time on it. To provide continuity, VDOT’s design firm stayed on during the construction phase to review submittals and address design-related questions. Overall, the team had strong structural engineering experience and a balance of VDOT employees and consultants.
Executive leadership supported the project management team as well. “Our leadership trusted us enough to let us get the job done,” Fisher says. “Virginia’s governor and secretary of transportation traveled these roads essentially every day in their own commutes and we never heard any complaints. Having their support was vital.”
Once the team was assembled, creating a transparent environment of idea sharing and open communication was paramount. Project management met with the contractor on a weekly basis to brainstorm, communicate, and address issues proactively. Housing the offices of the project management team and contractor teams together, where possible, created an even more collaborative atmosphere.
Addressing Logistics During Planning
VDOT addressed several major logistical issues during the planning process. For example, the Lombardy Street bridge, the largest structure in the project at about 740 feet (225 meters) long, is located directly under high-power transmission lines, passes over city streets, and has two active railroad lines underneath it.
One of the reasons that VDOT installed the replacement bridge superstructure in sections is because of the corridor’s tight right-of-way. The Lombardy Street bridge was widened to include 12-foot (3.6-meter) shoulders, which span the entire width of the right-of-way. With the railroad, city streets, and businesses located adjacent to the project, VDOT simply did not have space to install an entire bridge superstructure all at once.
Navigating the cranes under the transmission lines required installing three new 175-foot (53.3-meter)-tall towers, which subsequently raised the power lines an additional 90feet (27.4meters) to facilitate construction. With the higher lines, power service could remain uninterrupted, and bridge work could continue safely below.
Also during the planning process, the project management team formed a strong partnership with the city so they could store work vehicles close to the project and coordinate detours on city streets.
VDOT also worked closely with local emergency providers, business owners, and organization leaders to minimize possible conflicts. Richmond is host to several large festivals and auto races and is home to hospitals, corporate businesses, and several universities within hundreds of feet of the project’s right-of-way. The team met with officials on a regular basis to plan detours and conduct open discussions, which continued as the project progressed.
Reaching Out to the Public
In a field where the measures of success are defined by being on time and on budget, VDOT helped pave the way for a new measurement--a well-informed public audience. During the planning process, nearly $3 million of the project’s $106 million budget was allocated for communications, which proved to be one of the project’s best investments. Allocating 1–2percent of a project’s budget to communications is recommended, especially if a major goal is to minimize congestion during construction. How could those traveling near the work zones know to avoid them without at least basic knowledge about the project?
The objectives of the communications aspect of the project were not only to educate the public, but also to change driver behavior by giving them the knowledge to take control of their commutes. Other objectives were to garner support for the project and promote safety within the work zones.
The teams identified the audiences they wanted to reach and focused on specifics. They targeted public safety partners; travel and tourism organizations; the transportation industry; area business leaders; government and public leaders; local homeowners; the public as a whole, including those traveling directly on and under the bridges, in vehicles, on bicycles, and on foot; VDOT employees; and neighboring States’ transportation departments.
Day to day, the most affected were those traveling on and near the bridges, whether by vehicle, transit, or on foot. VDOT researched the daily routines of these audiences and used various informational tools to best reach them.
The team mapped out a typical day for someone working during daytime hours, and then the team targeted potential information sources. For example, a person might wake up to a radio alarm and hear VDOT updates on the radio, or maybe he or she might check the news online and read the Internet advertising banners and travel information. This person might then head to work and drive, bike, or walk past billboards near the project.
During downtime at work, he or she might check social media outlets, like Facebook and Twitter, and see locally targeted project ads and sharable images. At the end of the workday, a driver could hear traffic reports on the vehicle’s radio, with information about nighttime lane closures and alternate routes. If the driver stops for gas on the way home, he or she might see gas pump topper ads placed by the team. Once at home, if this person turns on the television, he or she might see TV banners, scrolling information, and traffic updates. Daily commuters thus could learn about the project in numerous ways throughout a typical day.
When considering those traveling from out of town, the team used targeted advertising on variable message signs, social media, and banners placed at rest areas throughout the State. In other words, the team used every outlet available to help disseminate information.
Because of the anticipated traffic impacts, the communications team made the I–95 Bridge Restorations project a priority, focusing on earned media, or nonpaid communications, such as news releases, social media, and other nonpaid outlets. For earned media, VDOT used its own toll-free VDOT hotline, the State’s 511 traffic information program, the project’s Web page, social media, email alerts, radio traffic reports, highway advisory radio, advertising, variable message signs along the corridor, and media kits for distribution to television stations and newspapers.
Although paid advertising is more expensive, it was an effective way to communicate information about the project. The communications consultants designed a full marketing campaign, including online ads that linked to the project Web page, social media ads, TV advertising, fixed and digital billboards, and radio spots for added reach.
The communications program also targeted two unique audiences--the homeless and transient populations. Given the bridges’ locations in an urban area near railroad tracks, at times the homeless used some of the bridges as shelters. The project management and communications staffs worked with local organizations to warn the homeless populations in surrounding areas about the dangers of the work zones and to provide them with contact information for alternative sheltering options.
Measuring Results
To measure the success of the project’s communications plan, VDOT’s independent consultant surveyed the public before, during, and after construction, using phone surveys and in-person interviews. Traffic counts were monitored, particularly on weeks with heavy advertising, to measure the success of the messaging. The consultant found that public approval of VDOT’s project management grew from 28 percent in 2010 to 62 percent by 2014.
The research conducted part way through construction showed that traffic volume decreased by an average of 30 percent throughout the entire work zone. During periods of heavy construction and advertising, the traffic counts decreased as much as 58 percent.
I–95 Richmond Bridge Restorations
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By the end of the project, results showed that an estimated 87 percent of motorists altered their driving behaviors based on the communications they received. This means that drivers were knowledgeable enough to adjust their travel times or to use an alternate route to avoid the work zones. The same survey found that nearly 60 percent of area residents were satisfied with the level of communications they received, and 8 out of 10 responders supported the need to replace the bridges.
The project enjoyed support from community leaders and partners. In an editorial in the Richmond Times-Dispatch dated July 19, 2014, the president and CEO of Richmond Region Tourism, Jack Berry, summed up the success of the communications program: “By partnering with the public, public safety organizations, and the travel industry, VDOT developed an innovative plan that minimized congestion and the impact on the tourism community, and for the residents of the region. . . .They launched a robust communications strategy to keep the traveling public informed of the construction schedule, empowering drivers to take control of their commute.”
Based on support expressed by the public in surveys and changes in traffic counts, the communications program for this project was nationally recognized and won several awards for effective communications.
The communications program exemplified the need to build trust with the public, maintain relationships with stakeholders, remain relevant in an era of growing content, release reliable information, be accountable when plans change, and track the campaign’s progress. With a project of this scale and the potential risks involved, communications was vital to both the project’s and agency’s success.
Keeping Virginians On the Road
A project of this size and complexity provided VDOT the opportunity to practice construction, project management, and communications methods that could set the stage for future large-scale successes.
“Mismanaging any one of the many challenges could have had devastating effects on a grand scale, but with proper planning, a strong team, and creative solutions, VDOT rose to the challenge,” says Vanna P. Lewis, P.E., former area engineer for the FHWA Virginia Division’s Richmond District.
The I–95 Richmond Bridge Restorations project represents more than just a success story. Because of the innovative construction solutions employed, solid project management, and effective strategic communications, the project offers the promise of 50 years of improved safety and convenience, a solid investment in economic development and infrastructure, and an enduring example of how VDOT keeps Virginians moving.
Lindsay LeGrand is the communications manager of VDOT’s Richmond District. She has a bachelor’s degree in government and history from the College of William & Mary.
For more information, see i95bridges.org, or contact Lindsay LeGrand at 804–524–6179 or lindsay.legrand@vdot.virginia.gov.