Photo courtesy of MaineDOT
The replacement of the Ticonic Bridge, which carries Bridge Street (Routes 137 and 201) over the Kennebec River between Waterville and Winslow, Maine, is under way.
The replacement of the Ticonic Bridge, which carries Bridge Street (Routes 137 and 201) over the Kennebec River between Waterville and Winslow, Maine, is under way.
The $52.85 million project, which received a $25 million BUILD grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, is being constructed by Cianbro of Pittsfield, Maine.
Photo courtesy of MaineDOT
Construction began in March 2023 with a completion date that has been set at May 2027.
Maine DOT said the project team determined construction will be completed in two stages that will allow the contractor to complete construction activities while accommodating traffic operations and remove and replace the old bridge one half at a time.
The Ticonic Bridge will be replaced on alignment with a new two-span, steel girder with concrete bridge deck structure. A single concrete pier will be built in the river to support the new bridge.
These girders, up to 150 ft. in length and weighing up to 140,000 lbs. each, will support the new utilities and concrete bridge deck.
The work has included leaving the concrete arch as it was, removing the failed truss, reconstructing the piers and building a new riveted steel girder structure to replace the truss, creating the first sizable roadway for vehicular traffic in a four-span configuration.
According to MaineDOT, the following construction work has been completed:
Early in 2024, Cianbro continued with gantry crane erection, including installing crane track and truss sections. Divers on site worked at a gantry foundation location. Bridge rail was removed from the Waterville side of the bridge, access to the newly placed pier seal was reinstalled, crews began drilling for footing dowels and started work on the pier seal, prepping for next phase of the pier placement.
Cianbro continued work on the gantry truss. Crews finished assembling gantry crane 1 and started installing gantry crane 2. The high spots in the seal were leveled, then drilled and installed dowels on pier seal for footing. Workers continued installing form work for the pier footing.
Concrete placement was completed on the pier footing. Cianbro continued with gantry truss erection and prepped for gantry foundation installation. Crews began bridge deck demolition.
By mid 2024, crews made significant progress by completing the gantry crane setup along the entire length of the bridge. Demolition was completed on span three and began on span four. Crews also worked on the center pier, installing rebar for the first section of the pier stem and installed forms for the same.
Photo courtesy of MaineDOT
Crews continued saw cutting operations from abutment one and into span two and completed phase one of the deck removal. The gantry crane facilitated the removal of girders and structural steel, while workers continued to install rebar, formwork and armor for the next lift of the pier stem. Demolition and structural earthwork efforts occurred at abutment one.
Workers completed concrete placement for the phase one pedestals. Forms on the first lift of the pier seal were removed, along with steel girders. Crews continued with the abutment one demo and structural earth excavation. Steel girders were removed on the westbound spans along with pier stems. Crews excavated to bedrock and cleaned it in preparation for abutment two work. Tree clearing on the Waterville side was completed and began on the Winslow side. Abutment one demolition was completed. Forms and rebar were installed for abutments one and two sub-footings.
When completed, the new bridge will introduce streetscape features to promote walking and bicycling and improve the attractiveness and quality of life downtown. The new bridge will feature 5-ft. shoulders to accommodate bicycles, as well as 6-ft. sidewalks for pedestrians. It will have modern bridge rails that are safer and meet crashworthy standards, will include architectural lighting and feature corrosion resistant construction materials that will stand the test of time. CEG
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