Prefabricated Bridge Units Used for MassDOT Memorial Avenue Rotary Bridge Replacement Project

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Jan. 13, 2016 - PRLog -- WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (January 2016) – SPS New England, the design-builder, awarded Oldcastle Precast, Rehoboth, MA the contract to supply prefabricated concrete bridge units for Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Memorial Avenue Rotary Overpass Replacement Project. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation, using Accelerated Bridge Construction techniques, made improvements to two overpasses: State Route 147 eastbound and westbound (Memorial Avenue) and US Route 5 (Riverdale Street) interchange area in West Springfield, Massachusetts.

Oldcastle Precast engineered and manufactured eight 80 foot-long prefabricated bridge units, varying between 10-foot to 15-foot-9-inches wide, weighing up to 80 tons. Each prefabricated bridge unit is composed of a precast concrete deck cast on two steel beams.

To create the new bridge deck for the east and westbound bridges, the prefabricated bridge units were set side-by-side on field abutments. Closure pours were then cast between the units, tying them together prior to installation of the finial bridge pavement.

Used often in Accelerated Bridge Construction, the prefabricated bridge units replaced the existing superstructures on both bridges.

Driven by the Federal Highway Administration, Massachusetts Department of Transportation officials have embraced the use of innovative construction techniques like prefabricated bridge units. By replacing the bridges with prefabricated bridge units, manufactured off-site, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation eliminated years of work on the roadway, reduced on-site construction time, minimized traffic impact, and lessened work-zone safety risks to the public.

This Accelerated Bridge Construction project is one of many that Oldcastle Precast-New England has been involved in over the past 3 years.

Accelerated Bridge Construction is bridge construction that uses innovative planning, design, materials, and construction methods in a safe and cost-effective manner in order to reduce the onsite construction time that occurs when building new bridges or rehabilitating existing bridges.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation replaced both overpasses in just one summer.

About Oldcastle Precast:
Oldcastle Precast is the clear choice for building products and services for North American Infrastructure projects. The company is a leading provider of engineered product solutions nationwide to a number of market sectors including:
Building Structures – Communications – Government/Military
Power & Energy - Security - Transportation – Water
Construction Services – Engineering Support – LEED/Green Consulting