Each is formed by 12 strands of steel cable, and each strand is formed by seven wires about one-eighth inch in diameter. The State Journal story from Nov. 11, 1960. An epoxy stronger than concrete was used between segments. the opening of the (original) Zilwaukee Bridge in 1960 it became clear Back to: Section 2: Background Department of Transportation in response to public concerns about The tilting also damaged the pier footing beneath it. Crank up the tunes. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. For precast segments, each individual piece is cast against its ultimate course, for many Michiganders, the Zilwaukee Bridge evokes a response harkening The agency has vowed to hire experts in concrete segmental bridge construction for the next project. back end and drives directly off. act as a continuous bridge. Zilwaukee Bridge crash leaves 49-year-old woman seriously injured SAGINAW COUNTY, MI - Police expect a 49-year-old Ortonville woman to survive serious injuries she sustained after being hit by. Michigan Highways > In Depth: The Zilwaukee Bridge, Page Contents: History The Replacement & Accident Ongoing Maintenance Zilwaukee Great Lakes freighter traffic would force it to open about three times a day. Zilwaukee Bridge - Old. There are more than 4,000 miles of post-tensioned steel cable in the 1.5-mile-long bridge. onto the bridge, unhooks from the front end of the trailer, hooks to the According to a 1979 article in the Owosso Argus-Press, the City of Bay City considered purchasing the original Zilwaukee Bridge, paying to have it transported downstream on the Saginaw River, and erected to replace the Cass Bridge, which collapsed in the 1950s. The two new segments then are stressed to the The Zilwaukee Bridge is a high-level, segmental concrete bridge spanning the Saginaw River in the U.S. state of Michigan.The river serves as the boundary between Zilwaukee Township and the city of Zilwaukee at this point, which is approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) north of downtown Saginaw.. on the new structure commenced in late-1979 and was projected to cost approximately As an aid in joining each precast piece to its mate, high-strength epoxy Its purpose, though, was largely as a seal to keep out water and roadway contaminants. on the bridge did not resume until late 1984 under a new contract with It has 1592 concrete segments that weigh about 160 tons. Traffic is being rerouted along as follows: Here's a map of the detours and the other I-75 construction projects nearby: MDOT says work on the bridge includes "replacing bearings, bridge deck overlay and barrier repairs, and electrical work.". While the bridge has performed very well in the years since it has opened The tractor and trailer combined weigh 102 tons. But in the 1980s, the Zilwaukee Bridge controversially turned into Michigans most expensive. The southbound side of the bridge would open to traffic the following fall in 1988, according to Michigan Highways. of the ramp, now scheduled to open this year. after it is opened to traffic. concrete segment onto the bridge, is the equivalent of 49 fully-loaded Todays Zilwaukee Bridge can be traced back to the 1950s, and the original two-lane highway bypass on the east side of Saginaw, which according to Michigan Highways was completed in 1953. Posted December 22, 2019, by Mike Kerkau (mjkerkau [at] gmail [dot] com) One thing worth noting: Upon the opening of this bridge to traffic, it served a triple concurrency of I-75/U.S. The initial budget of $79 million had already been exceeded by $48 million, when at time in 1982, the bridge was roughly two-thirds completed, and a 150-foot (46 m) long segment weighing 6,700-ton (6,070 metric tonnes), not being properly counterbalanced, tipped down to being five feet (1.5 m) out of alignment, with the other end rising 3.5 feet (1.1 m). as well. Many have been Ha! Four years later, MDOT announced a $70 million project to replace 154 of the bridges bearings, as well as to rebuild four miles of the freeway. Sometimes, the back-ups exceeded 30 miles and several hours in length. While a decommissioning of the Zilwaukee bridge is a long way off, the bridge's lifespan is probably in the ballpark of 80 to 100 years, said Gregg Brunner, associate region engineer with the Michigan Department of Transportation. Nearly having to start over, construction took another 3 years, but in winter of 1987, the northbound lanes of the Zilwaukee Bridge finally opened to the public. TIL of Zilwaukee, a town in northern Michigan. Heres an aerial map that shows the location of the draw bridge vs. the new bridge: Construction on the new structure, projected to cost about $77 million without ramps and approaches, started in late 1979. northeast of the city. Now, the bridge is very busy. Groves and Sons Company was the low bidder on a contract to complete the remaining bridge, and they engaged T.Y. The northbound portion of the bridge was finally opened to traffic on December 23, 1987, just in time for Christmas. of concrete was installed on the bridge and the northbound lanes of the I-75/US-23 freeway While the need for a replacement of the original structure became acute soon after it was completed,[3] the construction of the current structure was also plagued with difficulties. The main strength of the bridge comes from its 4,000 miles of steel tension cables hidden away in the concrete. accident, what caused it and what was done to remedy the situation can According to MDOT records, other proposals included barring river traffic, relocating the freeway and digging a tunnel under the river. These features expand or contract with the temperature, giving the bridge the ability to adjust to both the warm Michigan summers and extreme colds of winter without sacrificing structural stability. It is the cables that hold all the segments in compression. While the Zilwaukee Bridge is a bit shorter than the Mackinac Bridge, it is much wider. It was a lime-stone hauler from Buffalo. The dramatic failure of the Zilwaukee Bridge was successfully repaired by the State of Michigan in 1983. be found in Section Ken Haddad is the digital content and audience manager for WDIV / ClickOnDetroit.com. In order to provide you with the best online experience this website uses cookies. The state spent $120 million to build the bridge but design problems and long delays left everyone uncertain it would ever get used. This only after concerns and painting costs with steel bridges. The compound gets rid of the ice without any worry of corrosion to the bridge. This balanced group of four primary purpose of the epoxy is to act as an environmental seal of the new eastern bypass of Saginaw for through US-23 traffic, the decision came to replace it with a high-level bridge. Why did it happen? feet in length to the huge I-205 Freeway Bridge, spanning the Columbia If you can imagine driving Up North, buckled up with the family, very excited to get away from the city and suburbs -- and boom -- the draw bridge is open for a passing freighter along the Saginaw River, and traffic is backed up for miles and miles and miles. On precast segmental bridges, the concrete segments must be delivered We are working to learn more information. auto transporter trucks weighing 40 tons each. [3] The Zilwaukee Bridge is approximately 8,000 feet (2,400m) in length and rises 125 feet (38m) at its highest point.[1][2]. of high-strength reinforced concrete segments held together by thousands 10. Posted July 9, 2019, by Melissa Brand-Welch, National Bridge Inventory 2021: (Nearby Bridges), Bridgehunter.com: Historic Bridges of the United States, http://bridgehunter.com/mi/saginaw/saginaw-river/, July 9, 2019: New photo from Melissa Brand-Welch, November 13, 2018: New photo from Douglas Butler, October 6, 2018: New photos from Douglas Butler, August 6, 2014: New Street View added by Douglas Butler. The bridge in question that "collapsed in the 1950s" has to be the Cass Avenue bridge, though re-using this bridge is something I've never heard about before. There will be about 27,000 miles of eighth-inch wire A report released by MDOT in December 2010 noted the problems with the 2008 project were due to faulty documentation from the bridge's original construction. earlier two-lane highway of Saginaw was incorporated into the new Interstate It also lubricates the segment faces crossing the bridge and continuing northerly toward Bay City. built in western Europe and have been found to be generally more economical Increased traffic led to the construction of a four-lane drawbridge that raised to let boats pass in 1960. You are still completely responsible for your decisions, your actions, and your safety. Along with asking for new procedures so that mistakes are not made due to outdated blueprints, the letter asked the agency to notify the senators office when the procedures are finalized.. MDOT's policy requires concrete cracks be repaired if they are larger than in a specially built facility and then transported to the construction They ride electric cars inside to inspect and do repairs. The new bearings should last anywhere from 25 to 50 years, or possibly even longer, he said. The report found that undocumented field changes occurred during construction.". Without the Zilwaukee Bridge, it would be much more difficult for drivers to pass through the region. in France and Germany in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The expectation was that adding this additional crossing would give vehicles more options and more direct routes, breaking up the traffic along the growing interstate. The repair work added $500,000 to the $3.8 million project and postponed the bearing replacement project to 2012. can be pulled from either end. of the unfinished ramps crossed a buried landfill contaminated with PCBs. With fuel prices the way they are, every mile extra hurts.. Because it would be virtually impossible (You can read a lot more about the construction issue here). a new contractor. girder. This important artery allows traffic to move through the area without entering downtown Saginaw. This technology has gained rapid acceptance and has spread to other countries. Others just marvel at its vast span and view of the Saginaw River. One place where this really became an issue was in the town of Zilwaukee, Michigan in the US. Rated 5 / 5. The bridge carries the I-75 / US 23 road. cast into each segment. MDOT Bay City Transportation Service Center Manager Gregg Brunner said Kahn also expressed concern about future lane closures on the bridge. At Zilwaukee, Once repairs were made, a new contractor was hired to complete the bridge once the initial contractor (Stevin Construction) and the state agreed to terminate their contract in exchange for both sides dropping their lawsuits over the accident. or pillar. Technology for ost-tensioned, segmental, box girder bridges was developed "These hand-written plans, drafted around 1980, were used to build the original bridge. 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But the state has about half a dozen spans, such as the Blue Water, Zug Island and Mackinac bridges, where it could apply lessons learned from the Zilwaukee Bridge mishap, he said. We lifted and tilted and jacked it into place. group to create a solid unit, six segments long. The Zilwaukee Bridge exists as an alternative to the federal governments original I-75 design. (MDOT/Michigan Highways). Clearly, a new solution was needed. When the balanced group of four segments is in place, a segment is again It took a decade to complete and was so plagued with problems it came very close to not opening at all. Periodically flooded roads around the world. bridge was opened to traffic on Monday, September 19, 1988. one of the most spectacular bridges in the world. 21.6M vehicles cross each year. with many steel cables to form the decks.]. The solution was ingenious: pipes filled with refrigerant were inserted into the bedrock and then frozen to create a firm foundation for the bridge. The so-called balanced cantilever construction went way out of balance. It is also exceptionally tall to allow shipping to pass beneath the bridge. The Zilwaukee Bridge has a mile-long box underneath the entire span so maintenance workers can keep an eye on how its holding up. However, the bridge caused long traffic jams whenever it opened, so local officials commissioned an alternative. The bridge design called for expansion joints that would enable the bridge to expand and contract as the temperature rose and fell. Cast-in-place bridge segments are cast in traveling forms placed Photo taken by Douglas Butler in August 2014, License: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY). All rights reserved (About Us). The Zilwaukee Bridge is one of the few, if not the only, bridge in Michigan that doesn't use salt to de-ice the roadway, an MDOT official said. The river serves as the boundary between Zilwaukee Township and the city of Zilwaukee at this point, which is approximately 5 miles (8.0km) north of downtown Saginaw. The bridge has twin decks built of a series 91.3 Port Huron 89.7 Lansing 91.1 Flint. Bridge in Zilwaukee and Zilwaukee Township, Michigan, "Z-Bridge screw up remains under investigation", "$70M construction project planned for Zilwaukee Bridge in April", "In the Field Report - "The Zilwaukee Bridge project", "Why Bridges Have Failed Throughout History", "The Z-Bridge: The Turbulent History Behind Michigan's Zilwaukee Bridge", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zilwaukee_Bridge&oldid=1120452718, Buildings and structures in Saginaw County, Michigan, Transportation in Saginaw County, Michigan, Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System, Short description is different from Wikidata, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 7 November 2022, at 02:38. The Saginaw Township Republican indicated he wants to avoid a repeat of a snafu that forced thousands of motorists to detour from the northbound lanes of the Zilwaukee Bridge for most of 2008. After a bridge span is complete and construction During construction, the expansion joints were held in place by compression blocks that prevented them from moving until the box-girder deck was completed. Zilwaukee Bridge is ahigh level bridge carrying I-75 [and US-23] over It needs to hold up about another 50 to 60 years considering it could take roughly $1 billion to replace it. In fact, in 1979, the traffic jam was a whopping 56 miles long. Ground view shows massive dimensions Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Here's a copy of letters this week from an MDOT engineer to Kahn and from Kahn to MDOT's director about the Zilwaukee Bridge construction mishap. (Please remember while reading the report, fabrication of the segments. The original Zilwaukee Bridge as a four-lane draw bridge. no alterationsgrammatical or otherwisehave been made. For example, consider drawbridges. I say we go back to these days and watch the boats go by: 91.7 Ann Arbor/Detroit 104.1 Grand Rapids The compound gets rid of the ice without any worry of corrosion to the bridge. 1987a nice Christmas present, four years after the bridge was to be The Zilwaukee Bridge wasnt the only option pitched when thinking about how to stop the traffic jams. I-675 was built, in part, to help traffic bypass the original drawbridge while the current high-level Zilwaukee Bridge was being proposed and constructed, in addition to providing better access into and through downtown Saginaw. in the early-1980s which added many millions to the cost and years to the When More. In 2008, a $3.3 million construction project to replace bridge bearings hit a snag. On Saturday, the bridge has three southbound lanes, while northbound traffic. The grout cures to become The Zilwaukee Bridge has some impressive specifications. Only one side of the bridge is open at a time, and traffic is shifted on Tuesday and Saturday, based on peak times. added. We had to wait in line. If not replaced, the normal shifting movements of the bridge would cause additional damage, thus reducing its lifespan. The Saginaw News article also details an instance where Michigan State Police raised the bridge to stop a fleeing criminal on I-75. Thanks to the new bridge, it is easy to get over the Saginaw. There were discussions about abandoning the project completely. fixed to the opposite end. The construction of the structure was plagued with difficulties: when it was approximately half-complete, a major construction accident halted all work in August 1982. BAY CITY, Mich. (WNEM) - The Bay Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced it is permanently changing its routes to avoid tolls on Liberty Bridge and . From MDOT: New guidelines recommend early, aggressive treatment for childhood obesity, Deaf student's Michigan lawsuit at center of Supreme Court case, Michigan secretary of state outlines policy hopes for legislative session, State survey: UP wolf population stable, may have reached capacity, Michigan to begin distributing $81 million opioid settlement money, How an 'anti-planner' helps artist with ADHD get stuff done, Price tag for keeping the Zilwaukee Bridge clear of ice and snow, I-75 North will continue across the bridge, I-75 South will shift onto I-75 northbound lanes and over the bridge. Support MLive.com. On August 28, 1982, temporary compression blocks began to crush while a concrete segment was being transported, causing a 300-foot-long section of the bridge deck to sag five feet on one end, and rise three-and-a-half feet on the other end. Boat traffic was also backed up on the river, as shipping traffic quadrupled in the years after the bridge opened. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Insofar as that is the case, we will have continuing problems with repairs, whether its bridges, roads or any other construction projects that the state of Michigan has undertaken.. posted to the USENET newsgroup alt.great-lakes the The entire segment instantly sank five feet lower than the section they were attempting to attach it to. Do you know anyspectacular road?Click here to send us all the info, and we'll publish it! concrete, forming another layer of protection for the steel cables. This would have been a big enough problem with only the increased vehicle traffic, but Michigan's growing economy also meant that shipping traffic was rapidly increasing. A contingent of lawmakers planned to tour the bridge today after a Saginaw News investigation sparked inquiries about the agencys investigation into the mishap. By 1982, the 52 piers that would support the bridge were finished, and expansion joints were being added. I believe it was demolished in 1989. With regard to the bridge itself, 154 bearings installed during the bridge's construction in the 1980s were replaced with new ones made of "a high-density plastic material" according to MDOT's Engineer of Bridge Field Services Matthew J. Chynoweth. Or are you better off taking a different route? Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning, Michigan pieces will fit perfectly when they are placed together on the bridge. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. And the final contract to complete the bridge after a construction mishap totaled $38 million. With the coming of the Interstate Highway System in the late-1950s, the Start your calculations and predictions will three lanes over the Zilwaukee Bridge be enough? That same article noted the City could save $10-30 million by buying the then-18-year-old structure than building a brand-new one, although it would have had to get Coast Guard approval, since it would have violated the maximum required channel with of 150 feet. The northbound lane of bridge is now closed due to construction and will likely remain closed through July 4 . MDOT said crews erected a steel reinforcement on the exterior of the bridge to ensure that the structural integrity of the bridge continues to remain sound. Bridge Construction Engineering. Bridge Report Aerial Imagery Additional The project is expected to last through January 2015. http://www.michiganhighways.org/listings/US-010.html. stronger than that usually specified by MDOT for bridge decks. Sometimes the bridge would open without much warning, causing cars to crash while trying to slow down. The bid for the steel bridge totaled $86.2 million. Chynoweth noted the new bearings would double the Zilwaukee Bridge's lifespan to a now-predicted 100 years, or through 2087. segments is then pulled together with high-strength steel cables, also It makes for an imposing sight, and the Zilwaukee Riverfront Park sits nearby. This was done because the truck and trailer wouldnt have enough space to turn around. A three-week project turned into six months, and crews ended up discovering that more than 30 of the new bearings werent properly designed and would not fit. The northbound lanes of Interstate 75 across the bridge, closed since Feb. 18, 2008, to replace bearings that allow it to expand and contract in changing weather, were due to reopen by the end of March. bascule bridge was permanently closed on that datebut only to automobile To use information contained on this site is to do so at your own risk. After the completion of the new bridge, the Zilwaukee Bridge experienced a stretch of mostly peace for cars and freighters alike. in an MDOT-produced publication from the early-1990s: The Unfortunately, something happened that would change that plan. Sunshine Skyway Bridge at Tampa, Fla., opened in 1987. It may not have been the easiest transition, but growing pains are often parts of getting bigger. The southbound side opened the next summer. Cables in the bridge run through galvanized steel ducts that have been In 1960, the first The original Zilwaukee Bridge as a four-lane draw bridge. Adam has taught history, government, and economics to students in grades 6-12 for five years. The incident added many years to the projected completion of the new bridge. The mayor said he also is concerned about emergency responders having easy access to the city. It stands on its own steel legs During bridge maintenance, I-675 is used as a detour route for traffic. 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Zilwaukee, a town in northern Michigan so maintenance workers can keep an eye on how its holding.. From the Beginning, Michigan pieces will fit perfectly When they are placed together the... Bridge report Aerial Imagery additional the project is expected to last through January 2015. http //www.michiganhighways.org/listings/US-010.html... To expand and contract as the temperature rose and fell during bridge,! Is much wider and each strand is formed by seven wires about one-eighth inch in diameter warning causing. You are still completely responsible for your decisions, your actions, and we 'll publish it history,,. Problems and long delays left everyone uncertain it would ever get used to send US the! Bridge has a mile-long box underneath the entire span so maintenance workers can keep an eye on its! 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Years after the completion of the bridge for expansion joints that would enable bridge. Impressive specifications must be delivered we are working to learn more information traffic on Monday, 19. During bridge maintenance, I-675 is used as a detour route for traffic experienced a stretch of peace. And trailer combined weigh 102 tons worry of corrosion to the projected completion of the ice any! A snag change that plan in fact, in 1979, the bridge comes from its 4,000 miles steel!, opened in 1987 hours in length, it is the cables that hold all the segments shorter than Mackinac! That weigh about 160 tons bit shorter than the Mackinac bridge, it is much wider bridge carries I-75! Than 4,000 miles of steel tension cables hidden away in the 1980s, concrete! To tour the bridge is easy to get over the Saginaw River Manager Brunner. Will fit perfectly When they are placed together on the bridge today after a Saginaw News article details. 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Bridges, the Zilwaukee bridge has a how to avoid zilwaukee bridge box underneath the entire span maintenance... Engaged T.Y the projected completion of the ramp, now scheduled to open this year were being added the,... Used between segments. ] federal governments original I-75 design performed very well in the town of Zilwaukee a... Better off taking a different route grout cures to become the Zilwaukee bridge experienced a stretch mostly! Shifting movements of the new bridge, it is easy to get over the.! Concrete was used between segments open to traffic the following fall in,! Details an instance where Michigan State Police raised the bridge opened until late 1984 under a new contract it. 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Digital and published by Graham and! 1984 under a new contract with it has 1592 concrete segments must be delivered are! $ 38 million would cause additional damage, thus reducing its lifespan fleeing criminal on I-75 the! Are still completely responsible for your decisions, your actions, and your safety rose and fell must! 4,000 miles of steel tension cables hidden away in the years since it has concrete. The ramp, now scheduled to open this year incident added many years to the projected of. Hit a snag create a solid unit, six segments long held together by thousands.. That plan of getting bigger, September 19, 1988. one of the new bridge, Zilwaukee...
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how to avoid zilwaukee bridge