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. The project is expected to last through January 2015. Instead, a chemical compound called calcium magnesium acetate is used as an alternative. The Michigan Department of Transportation says it will close two lanes of traffic on the I-75 Zilwaukee Bridge tomorrow and Thursday. Its also one of Michigans most storied. completely cured, the expoxy is stronger than the concrete segments which Zilwaukee Mayor Gene Jolin said he hopes the state will keep two-way traffic on the bridge when it starts a two-year deck replacement and bearing project in 2012. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a high-level, segmental concrete bridge spanning the Saginaw River in the U.S. state of Michigan. 91.3 Port Huron 89.7 Lansing 91.1 Flint. The total launching girder apparatus weighs The bearingsdesigned to support up to 8 million pounds eachrequire replacement because of normal wear and tear since the bridge's opening in 1987. Thus, the new bridge is 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. 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. where they are to be erected. Saturday, August 20th 2022 Crashes impacting NB and SB 75 on the Zilwaukee Bridge. New bearings of "high-density plastic material" will give the bridge a much longer life: The bridge project, along with other nearby bridge and highway projects, are expected to cost $70 million. and reconstructing the newly-completed I-675 loop The two new segments then are stressed to the Moving the old bridge will save more than $1 million, they figure.". For precast segments, each individual piece is cast against its ultimate Authorities chose the lower-cost option. When According to MDOT records, other proposals included barring river traffic, relocating the freeway and digging a tunnel under the river. It needs to hold up about another 50 to 60 years considering it could take roughly $1 billion to replace it. It also lubricates the segment faces copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. Construction begins by placing two segments directly atop a bridge pier, The bridge wasnt even open for traffic yet at this point. and constructed is a post-tensioned, segmental, box girder bridge and work There will be about 27,000 miles of eighth-inch wire fabrication of the segments. Many of the original stainless steel and teflon bearings have been replaced with a plastic material. Officials confirmed Tulpehocken Forge Road is closed and they're asking people to avoid the area. An MDOT report found the 2008 issues were due to faulty documentation from the original construction, according to Michigan Highways. inch in diameter. girder. on the bridge did not resume until late 1984 under a new contract with 10. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. They ride electric cars inside to inspect and do repairs. Increased traffic led to the construction of a four-lane drawbridge that raised to let boats pass in 1960. In 1975, transit officials decided to build a high-level bridge over the river. repairs as well as a discussion of the safety of the bridge, which was Less than fifteen years after the original bascule bridge was opened, Each cable is stretched with hydraulic jacks, stressed to nearly 200 tons, Each segment is manufactured with 10,000 pounds of reinforcing steel inside. primary purpose of the epoxy is to act as an environmental seal of the The weight of the launching girder, combined with the truck carrying a When the bridge opened for river traffic, it sometimes caused miles-long traffic jams, especially during heavy travel days around the holidays and the start of firearms deer hunting season. The best, most concise description of the Zilwaukee Bridge can be found Without the Zilwaukee Bridge, it would be much more difficult for drivers to pass through the region. As a child, watching the bridge open and close was pretty cool, but when you're an adult, running late for work and stuck in traffic, the magic is kind of lost. before being installed. The immediate response to the accident was to halt construction and investigate the extent of the damage. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. Many more steel tendons are stressed at this time to make the two spans It was a lime-stone hauler from Buffalo. of the new bridge as segments are erected one against another and are post-tensioned The bridge carries the I-75 / US 23 road. course, for many Michiganders, the Zilwaukee Bridge evokes a response harkening The bridge also features a massive tie-down block that spans 57 x 46 x 5-1/2 feet and weighs about 1,100 tons. I dont know whether or not the problem with the Z-Bridge is limited to the Z-Bridge or not, said Kahn, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, in a recent interview. The tractor simply delivers the segment He succumbed to a year-long battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, in March 2018. Groves and Sons Company was the low bidder on a contract to complete the remaining bridge, and they engaged T.Y. The so-called balanced cantilever construction went way out of balance. But in August of 1982, after more than half the bridge had taken shape disaster struck. News never stops. Several ideas were proposed, including tunneling under the river, but eventually they decided on a box-and-girder, concrete segmental bridge that would simply be elevated high enough for ships to pass underneath. Department of Transportation, Zilwaukee Bridge: The original Zilwaukee Bridge ended up causing more traffic than it eased, due to the fact that commuters in both directions had to stop whenever the drawbridge opened. beginning at the existing route (Dixie Hwy) in Bridgeport, continuing northerly This high-level, segmental concrete bridge spanning the Saginaw River is said to be the perfect example on how not to build a bridge. David J. Herber, L & B Cartage vice president, said bridge lane closures have cost the drivers of the companys 43 vehicles time and money. The solution was ingenious: pipes filled with refrigerant were inserted into the bedrock and then frozen to create a firm foundation for the bridge. At its peak, the bridge is 125 feet above water level. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. On precast segmental bridges, the concrete segments must be delivered The original completion date for the Zilwaukee Bridge was November 1983. 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. The agency's Bay Region spokeswoman Anita Richardson said MDOT will follow the recommendations of an independent report on the mishap to make sure construction mistakes dont occur in the future on the Zilwaukee Bridge or on other Bay Region road work. Zilwaukee Bridge is ahigh level bridge carrying I-75 [and US-23] over more than six times as much as a fully-loaded standard 18-wheel, 40-ton However, it is most often known as the source of a giant headache because of a costly and high-profile construction accident that halted work entirely for two years. A track-mounted crane atop the launching So a new footing was built over the old footing and that is anchored down into bedrock, Chynoweth said. directly on the bridge superstructure. After eight years of construction, the northbound lanes of the Zilwaukee Bridge were opened Dec. 23, 1987. girder picks up the segments from the truck and delivers them to the location While there was a bridge in 1953, the area gained importance as a thoroughfare with the completion of the interstate highway system during the 1950s. The southbound side of the bridge would open to traffic the following fall in 1988, according to Michigan Highways. Periodically flooded roads around the world. built in western Europe and have been found to be generally more economical Ha! Use our interactive map to explore the roads or just discover them by browsing the site. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. The segments were cast of specially designed concrete which is one-third [5] During 2014, special custom-made jacks were put into place as a stop-gap measure while bearings were replaced.[6]. The The main reason for the accident was that too much weight was placed on a compression block. It is the cables that hold all the segments in compression. in the early-1980s which added many millions to the cost and years to the The Z-Bridge, as it has come to be called, has a rich and, at times, dangerous history, but its without a doubt one of the best-known bridges in Michigan. [3] The Zilwaukee Bridge is approximately 8,000 feet (2,400m) in length and rises 125 feet (38m) at its highest point.[1][2]. During the six-month shutdown, traffic was rerouted via I-675 through downtown Saginaw and massive back-ups were common. The website is for information purposes only and we assume no liability for decisions made as a result of the information provided here. The southbound lanes opened in the fall of 1988, at which point the old bascule bridge was officially closed. Traffic heading north each weekend, and south when the weekend is over, will still be able to traverse three lanes on the bridge. However, construction of the new segmental concrete bridge ran into trouble in 1982 when an expansion joint was overloaded, crushing the temporary expansion block. In the 1950s, Michigan expanded its transportation system expanding north from Saginaw and through Zilwaukee. Share YOUR roads!We'vemorethan 13.000 roads but we want more! The southbound side opened the next summer. In order to provide you with the best online experience this website uses cookies. the safety of the Zilwaukee Bridge, then nearing completion. An average of more than 6,600 pounds of steel cables holds each segment in place. The original Zilwaukee Bridge as a four-lane draw bridge. in 1953. The resulting fiasco was the worst in Michigan's transit history. It 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. completed. With fuel prices the way they are, every mile extra hurts.. We need to make sure that we have good agreements with partner about how our bidding changes when the opponents come into the auction. The history of the Zilwaukee Bridge is one of adaptation over time, as the little town of Zilwaukee started to grow. He's been with WDIV since 2013. The work was completed in 2015 and was expected extend the life of the bridge until 2087. It makes for an imposing sight, and the Zilwaukee Riverfront Park sits nearby. An epoxy stronger than concrete was used between segments. He was 49 years old. Really makes me wonder - if that was a seriously considered plan, what happened? In 1978, the first shovels went into the ground to build high enough to allow high-speed traffic and freighters through at the same time. stronger than that usually specified by MDOT for bridge decks. By the end of the next year, the original 1953 US-23 bypass By 1982, the 52 piers that would support the bridge were finished, and expansion joints were being added. One end of the 300-foot span supported by that pillar sagged five feet, while the other end was lifted 3 feet into the air. (You can read a lot more about the construction issue here). This technology has gained rapid acceptance and has spread to other countries. 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. Back to: Table of Contents, Michigan About 15 years after it opened, plans to replace it with a high-level bridge would start gaining steam, according to Michigan Highways. And it wasnt just the cars that suffered. However, the bridge caused long traffic jams whenever it opened, so local officials commissioned an alternative. Today, the Zilwaukee Bridge is the major artery connecting the north of Michigan to Detroit. Cast-in-place bridge segments are cast in traveling forms placed I am requesting a rigorous examination of the lane traffic and am seeking alternative plans that might help keep two-way traffic open during the construction process.. ), The BAY CITY, Mich. (WNEM) - The Bay Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced it is permanently changing its routes to avoid tolls on Liberty Bridge and . If not replaced, the normal shifting movements of the bridge would cause additional damage, thus reducing its lifespan. Traffic is being rerouted along as follows: Wednesdays - Saturdays removed so that river traffic would not be impeded. Construction of the bridge would resume. The state spent $120 million to build the bridge but design problems and. designed machines made for that particular project. It was only 150 feet wide and several ships ended up clipping the bridge, causing damage and even more traffic issues. Additionally, MDOT performed bridge deck surface repairs and a sealer overlay was applied along with repairs to some of the barriers, lighting systems and other electrial repairs. Zilwaukee Bridge. As noted above, when the bridge was approximately half-complete, a major Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning, The This was done because the truck and trailer wouldnt have enough space to turn around. That structure was supposed to be completed in 1983, but the collapse of a temporary compression block on an expansion joint in 1982 literally derailed the project. The Zilwaukee Bridge wasnt the only option pitched when thinking about how to stop the traffic jams. Published: Jan. 16, 2023 at 8:39 AM PST. The hauler, based in Zilwaukee, transports auto parts and agriculture products. posted to the USENET newsgroup alt.great-lakes the of high-strength reinforced concrete segments held together by thousands Most roads are bridges are simple structures, he said. My concern at this time is to make certain this type of construction accident does not occur again, Kahn wrote in a Wednesday letter to MDOT Director Kirk T. Steudle. 13. Yes, the Zilwaukee Bridge of 1960 was a drawbridge. In the early-1950s, the Michigan State Highway Department constructed a Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. The Zilwaukee Bridge has some impressive specifications. Almost exactly nine months later, the southbound side of the Sometimes, the back-ups exceeded 30 miles and several hours in length. A midnight crew scrambled to safety as an overloaded thousand-foot-long bridge section shook, buckled and sagged. Though some have speculated that the bridge was glued together, theyre not entirely far off. (MDOT/Michigan Highways). Repair work began in the early summer of 1983 and totaled around $6.8 million. The Zilwaukee Bridge has a mile-long box underneath the entire span so maintenance workers can keep an eye on how its holding up. Bridge Construction Engineering. Zilwaukee Bridge - Old. of the unfinished ramps crossed a buried landfill contaminated with PCBs. spans are complete, the last segment is cast in place to join the spans. being completed at either end of the new bridge, it was discovered one It has 1592 concrete segments that weigh about 160 tons. Our concern is if they shut it down for one year in each way, it could have a major impact, Jolin said. When we were kids this thing was massive and scarrrrrryyyyy!! It also damaged the pier underneath. cannot effectively be injected or sealed. On example of a common but not simple auction is when the opponents compete vs. our 1NT Semi-Forcing bid. As more and more ships traversed the Saginaw River, the bridge had to be opened more frequently, stopping vehicle traffic. two spans of the bridge simultaneously. After the cleanup and investigations and hiring of new contractors, work didn't resume until late 1984. The segmental bridge is built from individual concrete pieces, or segments, However, the size of interstate traffic was simply not appropriate for a small citynor did many drivers want to slow down on their way north to rural areas or south to Detroit. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 7/1/2022). The original bid for the project was $76.8 million. To make sure the its integrity would not be compromised, crews installed steel reinforcement on the bridge's exterior. How to Survive and Journey through the Nanisivik Highway, The Ultimate Guide to Traveling the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway, Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road was closed permanently on April 2017, Dalton Highway is the loneliest road on Earth, Slettnes lighthouse: the road to the end of Europe, How to Stay Safe on Dangerous Roads: Preparing Your Car for Bad Weather Driving. Thanks to the new bridge, it is easy to get over the Saginaw. Create an account to start this course today. We lifted and tilted and jacked it into place. The current eight-lane structure, completed in 1988, is the second such bridge at this location, replacing a four-lane bascule bridge constructed in 1960. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Chris has a master's degree in history and teaches at the University of Northern Colorado. the crossing would cause more problems then it solved. Each is formed by 12 strands segments is then pulled together with high-strength steel cables, also Unfortunately, something happened that would change that plan. 1987a nice Christmas present, four years after the bridge was to be All rights reserved (About Us). And the final contract to complete the bridge after a construction mishap totaled $38 million. through downtown as the through route. The tilting also damaged the pier footing beneath it. Kahn also expressed concern about future lane closures on the bridge. The segments are joined The total cost of the bridge project was around $127 million, with the federal funds paying for 90 percent of it, according to MDOT records. In 1960, the first were routed over the bridge for the first time on Wednesday, December 23, 10. new eastern bypass of Saginaw for through US-23 traffic, At Zilwaukee, are 73.5 feet wide and either eight feet or 12 feet long. The towns population, as of 2010, was about 1,600. We want your experiences too! Investigators said there were five reasons for the failure. 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. It caused serious damage. MDOT Bay City Transportation Service Center Manager Gregg Brunner said back end and drives directly off. While the bridge has performed very well in the years since it has opened When the balanced group of four segments is in place, a segment is again of an epoxy resin makes the repaired area stronger than the concrete was These joints have to be kept perfectly immobile during construction, so they are filled with temporary blocks held in place with steel tendons. But in the 1980s, the Zilwaukee Bridge controversially turned into Michigans most expensive. 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. During bridge maintenance, I-675 is used as a detour route for traffic. of the ramp, now scheduled to open this year. To use information contained on this site is to do so at your own risk. 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. A match-cast segment is attached to one side of that pier group 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.". Prior to that, all through traffic in the Saginaw area was funnelled All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. concerns and painting costs with steel bridges. truck. highway running from Detroit to the Mackinac Bridge. You are still completely responsible for your decisions, your actions, and your safety. We froze the ground below the pier, we abandoned the footing in place because the footing was completely destroyed. It didnt really work, and Zilwaukee did not turn into Milwaukee. project later in the decade. Segmental bridges are in two general categories: precase and cast-in-place. A 1,700-ton launching girder atop the bridge is equipped with a crane that takes the segment and puts it into place. 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.. 23 Location Zilwaukee, Saginaw County, Michigan Status Open to traffic History Built 1987 Design Concrete stringer Dimensions (1.5 mi.) Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. back to a major construction accident while bridge was not yet half completed But work didnt resume after the accident until 1984, with a new contractor. Its a lot of extra time and miles for my truck because were right off I-75, he said. Construction on the new Zilwaukee Bridge began in 1979. . These bearings do require extensive maintenance and replacement, as they see more wear and tear than typical construction elements might. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a massive segmental concrete bridge that carries the I-75 over the Saginaw River in Michigan. The bridge operator continued to staff the bridge until it was Construction efforts hit a major setback in August 1982, when, among other, less-significant causes, mispositioned weight crushed a temporary block placed in an expansion joint. dangerousroads.org is not responsible for the information contained in these pages. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a.high level bridge carrying I-75 [and US-23] over the Saginaw River at Zilwaukee. http://www.michiganhighways.org/listings/US-010.html. Related: The story of Metro Detroits Cold War nuclear missile defense system: The original homeland security. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a high-level, segmental concrete bridge spanning the Saginaw River in the U.S. state of Michigan. After a bridge span is complete and construction The Zilwaukee Bridge is a high-level bridge carrying I-75 (and U.S. 23) over the Saginaw River at Zilwaukee. Already way over budget and long behind schedule, Chynoweth said fixing the mess took an engineering effort on a scale with designing a whole new bridge. But in 1982, with the bridge about half-built, a major construction accident halted work. "These hand-written plans, drafted around 1980, were used to build the original bridge. It was the only stop on I-75 from southern Florida to the northern tip of Michigan. He enjoys suffering through Lions games on Sundays in the fall. I feel like its a lifeline. found at the following link. The bridge is named after the small city in Saginaw County, Zilwaukee, obviously. While no Saginaw River crossing seems to have been The State Journal story from Nov. 11, 1960. and then locked in place with tapered steel wedges, a process called post-tensioning. SAGINAW, Mich. - Friday marks 35 years since the Michigan Department of Transportation opened the Zilwaukee Bridge. The four-lane, bascule bridge (or drawbridge) opened in 1960. 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. Needless to say, the draw bridge wasnt exactly working. at the intersecting roads. Work began on the southbound span first during 2013 and then transitioned over to the northbound bridge during 2014. construction in the United States and Canada. 1,700 tons. For the first three years, everything went according to plan, and all of the piers were constructed on schedule. Unfortunately, that wasn't the reality. Traffic was shut down for about six months, before reopening in October of 2008. The entire segment instantly sank five feet lower than the section they were attempting to attach it to. A truck hauled the segments up one by one on a double-side trailer that allowed the truck to circle around after dropping the load and hitch back up on the other side. 0:00 / 1:50 The history, design and construction of the Zilwaukee Bridge 30 Years Later MLive 423K subscribers Subscribe 20 3.5K views 5 years ago Saturday, Dec. 23 2017 will mark the 30th. The compound gets rid of the ice without any worry of corrosion to the bridge. High pressure injection 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.. "From the 'as built' plans for the bridge, the only steel that was expected to be encountered were smaller steel bars," said Bay Region Engineer Robert Ranck. SAGINAW, Mich. Friday marks 35 years since the Michigan Department of Transportation opened the Zilwaukee Bridge. Around the time of opening, the Zilwaukee Bridge saw roughly 11.3 million vehicles cross per year, according to MDOT. This balanced group of four In 1979, construction started on a new, elevated bridge that ships could simply pass underneath. The bridge was built segment by segment, working from one end of the river toward the other side. 4: The Accident in The on the job weigh 160 tons, so the loaded unit can weigh up to 262 tons, But the $3.3 million project hit some road blocks in March, forcing motorists to steer around the bridge for at least another two months. 107. 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 agency has vowed to hire experts in concrete segmental bridge construction for the next project. 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. 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