Tom Warne Report, 7 December 2012
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Department of Transportation has selected a bridge project near Mannford as a test site for the state’s first ever rapid-construction project, which will only disrupt traffic in the area for 21 days, agency officials said Monday.
Officials said the $3.8 million project would be less expensive if built with traditional methods, but will result in net savings as typical bridge projects can cause months of traffic disruption. Other states have had success with the process, which involves pre-fabricating the new bridge next to the existing structure. Construction workers then dismantle the old bridge and move the new span into position over a matter of days, according to Tulsa region ODOT Engineer Randle White.
State Transportation Secretary Gary Ridley said some of the additional costs are startup costs, as this is the first project of its kind for Oklahoma. The rapid-construction process is easier for drivers, which experience fewer detours and disruption, he said. “We have been in the rapid-bridge construction business in the past,” Ridley said. “This is a newer twist to it where you’re able to build it offsite.”
The bridge project is planned for Oklahoma Highway 51 over Cottonwood Creek, about 8.5 miles east of Oklahoma Highway 99 . The entire construction project will take about six months, including the three-week traffic disruption. White said traditional construction methods for similar projects take about nine months, and traffic is disrupted the entire time.
Alternative Bridge Construction or ABC has taken a place in the industry as a viable and often necessary approach to reducing the impact that a project has on the traveling public. It’s proven and clearly successful. When this project is finished the public will demand more ABC projects in Oklahoma. TW