Gateway Bridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 42°15′54″N 83°16′13″W / 42.2649°N 83.2704°W |
| Carries |  I-94 |
| Crosses |  US 24 (Telegraph Road) |
| Locale | Taylor, Michigan |
| Maintained by | MDOT |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Tied-arch bridge |
| Material | Steel |
| Total length | 250 ft (76 m) |
| Width | 75 ft (23 m) |
| Height | 87 ft (27 m) |
| History | |
| Construction cost | $14 million |
| Opened | Fall 2005 |
| Location | |
 | |
The Gateway Bridge is a tied-arch bridge in Taylor, Michigan. It carries Interstate 94 (I-94) over eight lanes of US Highway 24 (US 24, Telegraph Road). The bridge itself is six travel lanes wide.
YouTube Encyclopedic
-
1/3Views:3 7254 124813
-
Completing the Gateway
-
Mackinaw City - Michigan
-
Driving Over Mackinac Bridge, MI
Transcription
Narrator: On March 8, 2012, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Prentis Edwards ordered the Michigan Department of Transportation to assume the responsibility of completing the Detroit International Bridge Company's portion of the Gateway project in Detroit. MDOT is working quickly to comply with the judge's order and complete this vital project. The Gateway project began more than 15 years ago as part of a larger plan to relieve congestion at one of North America's busiest and most important trade crossings, and has involved multiple phases and construction contracts totalling over $230 million of public investment in the border crossing. In 2004, the parties signed a contract agreeing to the design for the border improvements. The agreement was amended in 2006 at the request of the bridge company to adjust the limits of one the connecting ramps. The purpose of the project was to construct a dedicated truck road which would take commercial truck traffic coming into the United States off of local streets and improve the flow of traffic between the Ambassador Bridge and the freeways. In 2007, MDOT began their portion of the largest construction phase, a three-year project, including the construction of a new interchange at the Ambassador Bridge, rehabilitation of the I-96/I-75 interchange, and full reconstruction of I-75 and I-96 in the vicity of these interchanges. DIBC began their portion of the work during the same time but did not complete the work in conformance with the contract. Following attempts to have the bridge company complete its portion of the project as agreed in contract, MDOT had no choice but to have the dispute settled in court. MDOT contended that the bridge company was not building their portion of the project according to the agreed upon design, and instead had built other structures in conflict with the agreed upon design, putting federal funding for the project at risk. In February 2010, Judge Edwards ruled in MDOT's favor, ordering the bridge company to finish its portion of Gateway as planned. After a series of rulings and appeals spanning two years, including finding the bridge company in contempt of court twice, Judge Edwards ordered the bridge company to surrender control of its portion of the project to MDOT to finish the Gateway. The judge also ordered the bridge company to place $16 million in an account to pay for the project's completion. MDOT is now preparing to fully comply with the judge's order and complete the project as planned. Work will include removing a pier that DIBC built in conflict with the dedicated truck road. It will also include realigning three other piers that DIBC built in conflict with the four-lane road for Canadian-bound traffic and building a seperate roadway for the roughly 10,000 trucks entering the U.S. from Canada daily. MDOT will solicit bids from contractors to finalize the construction plans in accordance with the agreed upon design and finish the project construction using a design-build contracting process. The exact timeline won't be known until the contractor is hired, but MDOT will be placing provisions in the design-build contract to expedite the work. As the project progresses, MDOT is committed to keeping the public informed. Construction will be completed safely, and as quickly as possible. For more information, visit the MDOT Gateway Web site.
History
The Gateway Bridge was developed by the Detroit Regional Gateway Advisory Council (DRGAC) in preparation for Super Bowl XL, hosted in nearby Detroit in February 2006. It was one of several improvements made in the mid-2000s along 18 miles (29 km) of Interstate 94. The bridge cost $14 million (equivalent to $19.5 million in 2021[1]) and was part of an approximately $520 million (equivalent to $726 million in 2021[1]) I-94 improvements. The unique design meant that the cost was $2 million (equivalent to $2.8 million in 2021[1]) higher than conventional plate-girder bridges, causing public controversy. Private funds were largely used to cover the increase.[2][3]
Inspiration for the bridge came from a 1987 article by Frank Peters in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about a tied-arch bridge over the Mississippi River.[4]
Construction began in May 2004 while I-94 traffic continued to utilize existing bridges. C.A. Hull Company was contracted to construct the bridges and Dan's Excavating Inc. performed demolition work. Ruby+Associates provided construction engineering and proposed an alternate construction method that eliminated the need for large shoring.[3] A steel delivery delay caused work to slow at one point. The beams were fabricated by PDM Bridge.[4] The bridge was covered with three coats of blue paint and one clear coat to prevent fading. The bridge was completed in Fall 2005.[2][3]
It is known as the Gateway Bridge, because it acts as the "gateway to Detroit" for those traveling on I-94 from Detroit Metropolitan Airport to the City of Detroit.[4]
Design
Engineers from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) worked with Alfred Benesch & Company to create the bridge design. The bridge features twin tied-arch steel spans featuring two large blue ovals, augmented with additional ovals, meant to evoke images of footballs, to commemorate Super Bowl XL.[3][4] The arches reach 70 feet (21 m) above I-94 and 87 feet (27 m) above US 24. The bridge is 250 feet (76 m) long and 75 feet (23 m) wide. The six-lane bridge carries I-94 over the eight-lane US 24. The design introduced a single-point urban interchange, a new design in Michigan at the time.[2][5] That interchange was completed in December 2005.[6]
Each span uses approximately 1,400,000 pounds (640,000 kg) of steel. The bridge is topped with a 9-inch-thick (23 cm) concrete deck—which is standard in Michigan—and a 1.5-inch (3.8 cm) microsilica concrete overlay to protect the concrete's structural integrity. addition of a microsilica concrete overlay was unusual in Michigan at the time of the bridge's construction.[2]
Special lighting is used to illuminate the bridge at night.[2]
In 2007, the National Steel Bridge Alliance awarded the design in its medium span category.[5]
Maintenance
Prior to the bridge's opening, Wayne County and Detroit governments pledged $250,000 (equivalent to $300,000 in 2021[1]) per year to maintain the improvements made to I-94 that prompted the bridge's construction.[2] MDOT is responsible for maintenance of the bridge itself.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved January 1, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the Measuring Worth series.
- ^ a b c d e f Lovely, Lori (n.d.). "Detroit Bridge Ready for Some Football". Construction Equipment Guide. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Bacon, Sheila (May 2006). "Creating a New Motor City Gateway: Complex Geometry". Constructor Magazine. Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Kasi, Muthiah & Darwish, Ihab (October 2006). "'Gateway' Scores Touchdown" (PDF). Structure Magazine: 34–37. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ a b Abdalla, Hiba & Benesch, Alfred (February 28, 2014). "Case Study: Designing Michigan's I-94 Gateway Arch Bridges". LUSAS. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ Staff (n.d.). "Single-Point Urban Interchange (SPUI)". Michigan Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
External links
- Bridge Operations at Michigan Department of Transportation
This page was last edited on 9 September 2022, at 02:12