Acrow is supplying four modular steel bridges to carry traffic during highway construction work in Michigan. The structures were installed in Battle Creek to minimise inconvenience to travellers during the US$160 million, multiyear I-94 Modernisation Project. This will replace or repair 17 bridges and resurface 16km of the interstate. Because of heavy commuter and commercial traffic on the route, temporary bridges were essential to the success of the project.
The project was bid as a joint venture and awarded to Anlaan Corporation and CA Hull. Acrow provided two bridges to each of the partners. All four were designed to AASHTO HL-93 loading and all have an asphalt deck surface. The bridges rented to Anlaan measure 70.1m and 45.7m in length. The roadway width for the longer two-lane bridge is 9.15m; the shorter bridge is 5.49m wide. The longer bridge was installed with a full cantilever launch and the other, a crane-assisted launch. Opened in June 2023, it is expected they will be in place until March 2024.
The bridges rented to CA Hull are 57.9m and 45.7m long. Each has a roadway width of 5.49m. The bridges were installed in the median of I-94 between the existing eastbound and westbound structures, which posed technical challenges, as did the design of earth retention to support the temporary foundations. The structures were opened in June 2023 and are expected to be in place until August 2024.
“Project owners and contractors are increasingly selecting detour bridges over other re-routing methods during construction projects,” said Abbey Smith, Acrow’s Great Lakes Regional Sales Manager. “In addition to making work sites safer, modular detour bridging helps minimise work zone impact on motorists and local businesses and keep projects on or ahead of schedule.”
