November 18, 2021 1:00 pm
Rick Ellis, P.E., State Bridge Engineer, Arkansas Department of Transportation; and Fred Harper, P.E., Department Manager-Bridge, Michael Baker Int’l.
Webinar Documents:
Arkansas’ ABC & First Lateral Bridge Slides - pdf of presentation
- Contract Plans - pdf
- Contract Specs - pdf
- Bid Tabs - pdf
Q&A Session - pdf
News - November 18, 2021 - pdf of presentation
Description: In 2020 the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) completed the replacement of two bridges over De Roche Creek on I-30 near the city of Arkadelphia. ARDOT partnered with Michael Baker International to provide design and plans for Arkansas’ first lateral slide highway bridge replacement. I-30 is a heavily trafficked route that connects Little Rock, AR to Dallas, TX, so using ABC was the ideal solution to reduce lane closure time and improve safety. The new steel plate girder superstructures were erected on temporary falsework outside of the existing parallel bridges, while crews constructed the permanent semi-integral straddle bent substructure underneath the existing bridges, supported on drilled shafts. This approach limited traffic disruption to two short-term periods, eight days each, during which traffic was reduced to a single lane in each direction. The single span arrangement served to simplify the slide process and reduced the environmental impact on De Roche Creek. The presentation includes design and construction details as well as lessons learned.
Presenters:
Rick Ellis, P.E.
State Bridge Engineer
Arkansas Department of Transportation
Email: Rick.Ellis@ardot.gov
Rick received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Michigan State University in 1992. Immediately upon graduation, he relocated to Little Rock, Arkansas where he started his career in the Bridge Division of the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (now ARDOT). Rick was promoted to his current position of State Bridge Engineer in 2014. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Arkansas and serves on the AASHTO Committee on Bridges and Structures’ Technical Committee on Seismic Design, T-3.
Fred Harper, P.E.
Department Manager-Bridge
Michael Baker Int’l.
Email: Fred.Harper@MBakerIntl.com
Fred is the Bridge Department Manager in Michael Baker’s Little Rock, Arkansas office. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Arkansas in 2006 and is a Licensed Professional Engineer in Arkansas. His career has focused on bridge analysis and design for the Arkansas Department of Transportation (DOT), Tennessee DOT, Oklahoma DOT, and several Arkansas municipalities. Projects of interest include the I-40 Maumelle Interchange in Central Arkansas, Highway 70 Widening (20 miles between I-30 and Hot Springs, Arkansas – 3 new bridge structures), and inspection and repair of the I-40 Hernando De Soto Bridge over the Mississippi River. He is also a proficient Certified Bridge Inspector and enjoys the bridge construction phase, seeing the careful planning come to fruition.
Presentation Photos/Graphics:
1) Straddle-bent substructure and temporary falsework
2) UAS photo – Bridge A demolition
3) Bridge A lateral slide in process
4) Completed construction