All Projects - Accelerating Technology

Prefabricated Bridge Elements and Systems

I-45/Pierce Elevated
Location	Downtown Houston
State	TX
Completion Date	1997
Contact Person	Kenneth L. Ozuna P.E. Texas Department of Transportation Phone: (713) 802-5435 Email: kozuna@dot.state.tx.us
Description	When a 113-span section of IH 45 in Houston's central business district needed replacing, designers estimated that a conventional bridge system would require more than a year and a half of construction. Estimating user delay costs at $100,000 a day, TxDOT opted to speed construction by using precast bent caps on the existing columns. The bridge consists of twin structures, one northbound and one southbound, and each structure was completed in 95 days, a total of 226 spans replaced in 190 days. To connect the precast caps to the existing columns, the precast caps were anchored with post-tensioning bars and hardware.
Photo
Prefabricated Elements	partial, pier
Other Keywords	Precast bent caps; precast prestressed deck panels; precast prestressed I-beams,precast deck panels with topping slab,precast pretensioned partial-depth deck panels,speed of construction
Advantages	Minimized traffic disruption: construction time was reduced from an estimated 1.5 years to 190 days, with user delay costs estimated at $100,000/day.
Related Document 1	Cap-to-Column Connection Detail Drawings (PDF, 0.5 mb) HTML Version: Sheet 1 Sheet 2 Sheet 3
Photo Credits	Texas Department of Transportation