BERKELEY AVENUE/I-5 SOUTHBOUND ON-RAMP BRIDGE
BACKGROUND
To improve traffic flow at the Berkeley Avenue SW and I-5 interchange in Lakewood, the Washington DOT required the replacement of the bridge over I-5, including construction of a new on-ramp bridge for traffic heading southbound on I-5. Atkinson Construction contacted TrueTech Bridge for a stay-in-place form option that would increase productivity and safety for their crews on site, while still allowing for long-term visibility to the bottom of the deck for inspection. This was a major milestone in bridge deck construction in the state of Washington, as WSDOT had not previously allowed the use of stay-in-place forms in the state prior to this project.
CONTRACTOR
INFRASTRUCTURE OWNER
PRODUCT
CHALLENGES
The location of the new southbound on-ramp onto I-5 is very close to the current lanes of I-5 which remained open to the traveling public, limiting access for bridge construction activities. WSDOT required visibility to the underside of the deck for inspection purposes, therefore conventional stay-in-place forms (corrugated metal or precast) were not allowed.
RESULT
Atkinson Construction partnered with TrueTech Bridge to design and supply ClearCast Forms to safely increase the speed of deck construction and eliminate stripping forms. The Washington DOT approved of ClearCast Forms because of the transparency, allowing their inspectors to see the condition of the concrete over the service life of the deck. TrueTech Bridge delivered the complete design and delivery of the ClearCast Form System to meet Atkinson’s construction schedule. Custom form supports were designed for attaching to the precast, prestressed beams, and additional engineering design was required to handle the various haunch heights and associated support angle transitions.
Both WSDOT and Atkinson Construction were pleased with the performance of the ClearCast Forms and the service provided by TrueTech Bridge.
