Photo courtesy of Triton Construction
U.S. 33 over I-81 in Virginia’s Rockingham County.
In 1960, Harrisonburg, Va., was a small rural town where construction teams built four bridges to handle the expected traffic for the future at the intersection of Interstate 81 and U.S. 33. The future is now as the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is working with lead contractor Triton Construction of St. Albans, W. Va., to prepare what is now I-81 exit 247 at U.S. 33 for the coming decades.
Harrisonburg has grown rapidly over the years as has its traffic. Madison College became James Madison University with a larger footprint including a new basketball arena and an expanded football stadium. Commerce has flourished, bringing with it shopping and restaurants. Tourists frequent the area in the city of Harrisonburg and surrounding Rockingham County for its majestic scenery including nearby Skyline Drive and Massanutten Resort, which includes a water park and winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding. Visitors to all of these amenities use the U.S. 33 corridor.
Photo courtesy of Triton Construction
In an effort to minimally impact the local economy during construction, two lanes of traffic in each direction must be kept open at all times. To stay within the established state right-of-way, the work zone is confined to a small area. Equipment, including cranes, are managed by the lead construction team of Triton Construction as they execute project progress within the approved construction limits.
Traffic planners have designed one new bridge to replace the eastbound and westbound bridges over I-81. Another single bridge will replace the two bridges of Route 33 over Norfolk Southern Railroad. Both of the new bridges will have two lanes in each direction. The bridge approaches will be reworked with improved functionality and new paving. The traffic volume on U.S. 33 is 31,000 per day.
During construction, motorists who have been exiting and entering I-81 have had to weave their vehicles back and forth to get to their destinations. The completed project will make these actions unnecessary on the acceleration and deceleration ramps. New ramps, left-hand turn lanes, a new spur ramp and dual left-hand turn lanes will make traffic more manageable and safer. Workers will build raised medians on U.S. 33, which will add to safety for the motorists. In addition, one loop ramp will be removed and a deceleration ramp extended.
The cost of the entire project will be $60 million. It is approximately 20 percent complete with a finish date expected in 2026.
Josh Hall, VDOT's area construction engineer on this job, described the work: "We will be replacing four pre-stressed concrete beam spans over I-81 with two continuous steel spans, a jointless bridge. The old bridges are in poor condition with widespread deterioration. The new bridge structure over I-81 will be 285 ft. long."
The new bridges will require 1.7 million lbs. of structural steel, 544,000 lbs. of steel and 4,100 cu. yds. of concrete.
"These old bridges have been struck many times by I-81 traffic," said Hall. "The new bridge will provide a minimum of 16.5 feet under clearance to accommodate the taller truckloads of today."
Approximately 31,000 tons of asphalt will be used on the new bridge approaches and new lanes.
Of course, safety is an important consideration. Work crews have installed digital message boards on I-81 and U.S. 33 to alert drivers ahead of time where construction activities will impact them. Although the work is being done in some tight quarters, construction teams are working behind concrete barriers to enhance safety. The teams needed to work night shifts in the summer and fall because of heavy traffic.
The new bridges are being erected on single piers to make room for future widening of I-81.
Photo courtesy of Triton Construction
Justin Koers is area project manager of Triton Construction. His team is responsible for building the bridges and a shared-use path that will be used by cyclists and pedestrians. He emphasized the challenge of working in some tight places with active traffic nearby.
"We needed to use shoring equipment to stabilize some of the material," he said. "This was especially important since we were sometimes operating 10 feet below the existing roadway. We needed to keep the material in place while we brought in concrete for the new construction."
"We also had to be choosy with the equipment we brought in," said Koers. "It had to be small enough to fit into the small spaces we had, yet big enough to do the job."
Triton used two Link-Belt cranes for its work: 218 HSL and RTC8065.
Major subcontractors on the project included:
- Rod Busters — rebar, shear stud and SIP installation
- Adams Construction — asphalt placement
- Davis H. Elliot Construction Co Inc. — permanent signs, traffic signals, lighting
- LMC Safety Barricade Corp. — temporary construction signs. CEG
Chuck MacDonald
Chuck MacDonald is an editor, blogger and freelance feature writer whose writing adventures have taken him to 48 states and 10 countries. He has been the editor for magazines on pavement construction, chemicals, insurance and missions. Chuck enjoys bicycling, kayaking and reading. He graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in journalism. Chuck lives in Annapolis, Md. with his wife Kristen. They have seven grandchildren.
Read more from Chuck MacDonald here.
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