William T. Colquett, P.E., State Bridge Engineer, Alabama Department of Transportation; Lloyd L. Pitts, P.E., Chief Bridge Engineer, Volkert, Inc.; Eric Johnson, P.E., Bridge Engineer, Corven Engineering, a Hardesty & Hanover Company; and Q&A panel member Gregg Freeby, P.E., Executive Director, American Segmental Bridge Institute

Webinar Documents:
Segmental ABC and More: I-59/20 Birmingham Central Business District Bridges Project - pdf of presentation
Q&A Session - pdf
News - February 18, 2021 - pdf of presentation

Description: The Alabama Department of Transportation’s replacement of the I-59/20 Central Business District bridges utilized several ABC techniques to rapidly replace an aging elevated interstate in downtown Birmingham. These include contractor incentives for early completion and penalties for late completion, complete closure of the existing facility during construction, pre-placement of many bridge foundation elements prior to closure using low headroom drilling rigs for drilled shafts for some portions of the project and micropiles for others, precast segmental span-by-span superstructure placed on falsework, precast segmental columns/substructure elements; and performing work on multiple headings. With just 14 months allowed for complete closure of I-59/20, ABC was a necessity for this project. The structures were opened to traffic in January 2020. As more owners are faced with reconstructing urban expressways, many of the design and construction techniques as well as lessons learned from this project can be applied to future projects.

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