Danish international consultant Cowi last week successfully moved a 290-foot-long steel network-tied arch bridge into place for a complex grade separation project in the city of Corona in southwestern California.
When complete by early next year, the scheme will eliminate a serious traffic choke point in the city by carrying McKinley Street over two mainline rail tracks and the busy Sampson Avenue.
Currently, passing trains stop traffic at the level crossing for a cumulative 2 hours and 35 minutes every day. The wait had been forecast to grow to more than four hours in the coming decade.
The arched bridge deck was built at a spot just to the north of its final destination, and moved overnight last weekend with self propelled modular transporters (SPMTs).
As well as crossing over the tracks, the SPMTs had to traverse Sampson Avenue and the Arlington Flood Control Channel.
Cowi was responsible for verification of the arch during all stages of construction and transport.
That included the design of the temporary crossings used in the move and temporary trusses to support the arch on the SPMTs.
Cowi’s North American president Thomas Dahlgren said they used 3D analysis and bridge information modeling to verify bridge stability, arch capacity and hanger stresses for the differential movements imparted during the move.
“The accelerated bridge construction technique utilised for this project limited impacts to the traveling public and rail operations, allowing the bridge to be erected over train and vehicular traffic in a single weekend closure,” he said.
The project started in early 2022 with an anticipated completion date in late 2024 or early 2025.
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