Accelerated Bridge Construction
University Transportation Center

ABC Project and Research Databases

2011 – I-15 / Sam White Lane Bridge

Year ABC Built: 2011
State: UT
County:
Owner: State
Location: Urban
Spans: Two-span
Beam material: Steel
Max Span Length (ft.): 177
Total Bridge Length (ft.): 354
Construction Equipment Category: SPMTs
ABC Construction Equipment: SPMT(s)
State ID Number: MP-l15-6(178)245
NBI Number: 0C 989
Coordinates
Latitude:
40.355545 | Longitude: -100
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Under Construction


Bridge Description

Project Summary:


Project Location:

On Sam White Lane over I-15 in the city of American Fork in Utah County, 30 miles south of Salt Lake City


Impact Category:

Tier 1 (within 1 day)


Mobility Impact Time:

ABC: overnight closure of I-15 (8 hrs); Conventional: Six additional full nighttime I-15 closures


Primary Drivers:

Reduced onsite construction time; reduced traffic impacts; improved work-zone safety; improved site constructability; improved material quality and product durability


Dimensions:

354-ft long and 76.8-ft wide two-span continuous steel plate-girder bridge (177 ft – 177 ft) roll-in; 48º skew; 1,910-ton self-weight


Average Daily Traffic (at time of construction):

65800


Traffic Management (if constructed conventionally):

Traffic management alternative, if constructed conventionally: would have impacted I-15 traffic (extended use of multiple lane closures)


Existing Bridge Description:

The existing four-span bridge was 325 ft long and 34 ft wide with a minimum vertical clearance of 14 ft-7 inch. It was demolished in 2008 after being severely damaged by a collision.


Replacement or New Bridge:

The Sam White Bridge is the longest bridge in the US to be moved into its final location using self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs). It crosses I-15 at a high skew and on a sharp vertical curve. The bridge has two 12-ft-wide traffic lanes in each direction, a 14-ft-wide turn lane, and a 12-ft-wide shoulder and 6-ft-wide sidewalk on each side. The 7-ft-deep cross-section consists of six steel plate girders at 13.5-ft spacing with 4.67-ft overhangs and a 10-inch-thick cast-in-place lightweight concrete deck. It has a 17.25-ft vertical clearance above I-15.


Construction Method:

From August 2010 to March 2011, the bridge was built on the east side of I-15 approximately 500 ft from the bridge location. The abutments and interior support were constructed conventionally with concrete-filled pipe pile foundations. The interior support consists of six individual 4-ft-square cast-in-place concrete columns spaced at 20 ft. Each girder was set directly on a column. Each girder was connected to the column with an over-sized interlocking sole plate on a steel-reinforced elastomeric bearing pad; the connection accommodated setting tolerances during the bridge move as well as subsequent loading due to girder rotation and movements due to temperature and seismic effects. Saturday EveningOn March 26, I-15 was closed at 11 pm. At the bridge temporary location the two-span unit was lifted off the temporary supports on four lines of self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs) (two lines per span), and moved 500 ft across eight lanes of I-15 to the final bridge location.Sunday MorningThe bridge was set in place at approximately 4 am. I-15 was re-opened at 7 am, three hours ahead of schedule. The abutments were made integral after the move, and a thin-bonded polymer overlay was placed.


Stakeholder Feedback:
High Performance Material:

Lightweight concrete deck, 70 ksi high performance steel (HPS) in girder flanges over the interior support



Project Planning

Decision Making Tools: State process
Site Procurement:
Project Delivery: Design-build
Contracting: Full lane closure

Geotechnical Solutions

Foundations & Walls:
Rapid Embankment:

Structural Solutions

Prefabricated Bridge Elements:
Prefabricated Bridge Systems: FDcBs (full-width concrete-decked steel beam unit)
Miscellaneous Prefabricated: CIP reinforced concrete closure joints; Thin-bonded epoxy overlay; LWC deck

Costs & Funding

Costs:

This bridge is part of the $1.7 billion Utah County Corridor Expansion (CORE) design-build project. The construction cost of the bridge was $5.09 million. The estimated cost of accelerated techniques was approximately $1.75 million.


Funding Source:

State Only


Incentive Program:

Additional Information


Downloadable Resources

Contract Plans:

Specifications:

View Sam-White_special-provisions.pdf

Bid Tabs:

Construction Schedule:

View RLW-Schedule.pdf


Other Related Information:

Summary Sheet:
120131-ABC_New2_UT_2011_Sam-White


Other Related URLs:


Go to: http://www.udot.utah.gov
Go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqyZ1HT0yMA
Go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yAlAGnKxSY
Go to: http://www.i15core.utah.gov/bridge/

Photo Credits:

Utah Department of Transportation


Contacts

Carmen Swanwick, P.E.
Chief Structural Engineer
Utah Department of Transportation
cswanwick@utah.gov
801-965-4981