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Prefabricated Bridge Elements and Systems

Pelican Creek Bridge

LocationChichagof Island
StateAK
Completion Date1992
Contact PersonMike Higgs, P.E.,
Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities,
(907) 465-8896
Description

This bridge has precast decked double-tee girders with precast caps and steel piles. It is one bridge 178 ft. long and 18 ft. wide with 3 spans.

A small fishing community on Chicagof Island in southeast Alaska needed a new bridge quickly after buying a fire truck that was too heavy for their old timber bridge. Construction requirements included staying out of the sensitive creek bed and completing work within a short time defined by the Department of Fish and Game. The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities chose a totally prefabricated bridge with all material, including rock for the approach fill, barged to the work site. The contractor floated in barges at high tide and anchored them in the creek. Crews drove steel piles from barges, drove a large wheeled crane onto the barges, and then used the crane to install first caps and then decked double-tee girders, post-tensioning the diaphragms. No heavy equipment was lodged in the creek bed. All construction completed in approximately 5 weeks in 1992.

Alaska DOT regularly uses decked bulb-tee girder bridges consisting of precast, prestressed girders cast with an integral deck to form a "T" shaped beam. The maximum span length is 145 ft. The superstructures are often installed in 1-2 days for a typical highway bridge. Prefabrication provided ADOT with a new bridge with a longer service life and lower maintenance costs, and it facilitated safe construction in a sensitive environment. Total prefabrication improved constructibility for Trucano Construction crews and reduced labor costs. Residents of the island got a new bridge quickly constructed and strong enough to support their civic vehicles.

PhotoOld and new Pelican Creek Bridge on Chicagof Island, Alaska. Click for larger version of image Substructure of new Pelican Creek Bridge on Chicagof Island, Alaska. Click for larger version of image New Pelican Creek Bridge on Chicagof Island, Alaska. Click for larger version of image Construction of new Pelican Creek Bridge on Chicagof Island, Alaska. Click for larger version of image Construction of new Pelican Creek Bridge on Chicagof Island, Alaska. Click for larger version of image
Prefabricated Elementstotal
Other Keywordstotally prefabricated bridges
AdvantagesMinimized environmental disruption, constructibility
Contract ElementsSuperstructure Detail Sheet
Photo CreditsAlaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
Updated: 09/27/2011

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