Bridges

The Southwest Downtown Pedestrian Bridge provides a vital urban link for Colorado Springs, spanning over an active railyard.  Connecting the new U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum complex to America the Beautiful Park, the new pedestrian bridge reconnects a growing network of pedestrian bicycle paths.  The new pedestrian bridge takes its inspiration from the gravity-defying motion of athletes, with a 250-foot curved steel structure that floats above the railyard.

DCCI was tasked with unloading and final assembly of this geometrically complex pedestrian bridge.  Using temporary falsework, DCCI ensured alignment during field assembly and welding.  Pre-assembled sections were assembled such that self-propelled modular transporters (SPMT’s) could hoist and maneuver the fully assembled bridge across the railyard and on to the permanent abutments.

Construction of a new bridge for I-294 NB over the Chicago Sanitary Ship (CSS) Canal, Canadian National (CN) Railroad tracks, and the abandoned Illinois and Michigan (I&M) Canal.  DCCI installed 5,400 Tons of structural steel plate girders in 2 units:  Unit 1 (2 spans, 11 lines wide, and 390 ft long), and Unit 2 (3 spans, 10 lines wide, and 1,030 ft long), including a 410 ft center span over the CSS Canal.  Significant challenges of this project included working adjacent to and under overhead power lines, closeout jacking for the Unit 2 center span, and the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic.

The Central 70 Project is a reconstruction of a 10-mile stretch of I-70 between Brighton Boulevard and Chambers Road, adding one new Express Lane in each direction, removing the aging 57-year-old viaduct, lower the interstate between Brighton and Colorado boulevards, and place a 4-acre park over a portion of the lowered interstate.

Superstructure work included erection of three new steel bridges over the existing and future I-70 alignment.  Complexities included erection activities over the existing I-70 alignment during a weekend closure, of which only 3 were granted for the duration of the project.  UPRR Bridge Over I-70 included erection of new girders under the existing viaduct by staging & launching from the newly installed adjacent span.

The replacement of the Baudette – Rainy River International Bridge was a partnership between MnDOT and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation to provide an updated connection between United States and Canadian full-service, 24-hour Port of Entry facilities.  Constructed in 1959, the old bridge was classified as structurally deficient and could no longer support overweight or over-dimensional loads at this critical international border crossing.  Superstructure work included the erection of a 1,340 foot continuous plate girder span using temporary bents within the Rainy River.  Scope included the erection of aluminum arches that served as the definable feature at the International border line.  Due to the complex geometry and size of the aluminum arches, the box members required a field weld once erected on temporary supports.

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most iconic landmarks in the United States, drawing millions of tourists and commuters alike. The bridge is situated at the mouth of the San Francisco Bay, playing a key role in the bay area public transportation network with thousands of vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists crossing each day.  Danny’s Construction Company partnered with Shimmick Construction, a prominent west-coast heavy civil contractor, to pursue this project.  This project consists of a near full bridge length stainless-steel cable net system on both sides of the bridge along with a wind retrofit on the west side of the main suspension span. The net system will be situated about 20 feet below the deck and project out about 20 feet from the bridge.  Due to the new net system, the existing maintenance travelers will need to be replaced.  The planned completion is expected in 2021.  At its completion, this will be the largest application of a suicide net deterrent system on a bridge in the United States.

Some of the primary scopes of work include:

• Furnish and install 385,000 square feet of stainless-steel net along most of the 1.7-mile-long bridge.
• Furnish and install approximately 600 tons of steel to support the new stainless-steel cable net.
• Remove the existing 4 maintenance travelers on the suspension spans.
• Furnish and install 12 new battery powered maintenance travelers on the suspension spans, including electrical work and multiple charging stations.
• Furnish and install 1,100 tons of rail girders to support the new maintenance travelers.
• Remove thousands of existing rivets and replace with high strength bolts.
• Field drill thousands of holes in the existing bridge.
• Furnish and install 425 tons of wind retrofit steel on the west side of the main suspension span involving the replacement of the existing guardrail and installation of new wind fairings.
• Spot blast, clean, and paint the existing bridge where existing lead-based paint is disturbed from removal or installation activities.

The construction of Bridge 69129 over the Rouchleau open pit mine consists of a 3-span plate girder bridge approximately 1,132 feet long.  The superstructures work included the erection of 5,250 tons of plate girders, ranging in size from 8-15 feet deep in 4-girder assemblies. The challenging logistics of 200-foot-high rock faces, and a flooded open pit mine with 120-foot-deep water, also the sole source of drinking water for the City of Virginia, drove general contractor Kiewit Infrastructure to build a 170-foot permanent causeway under the bridge.

Danny’s Construction Company was tasked with developing an erection plan that incorporated the use of temporary shoring towers on the causeway rather than jacking and closing the center span, nearly 200 feet in the air. Meticulous planning and layout allowed the girder assemblies to be staged and assembled on the ground, minimizing worker risk in the air and minimizing the number of critical lifts. 4D planning ensured every move was the most efficient to assemble and erect the bridge within the demanding time frame. Through a tough Minnesota winter, our crews adapted and handled the unexpected without compromising safety and schedule.

Bridge 5900 has been determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Work Package 5 consists of removal of 21 spans and rehabilitation of 3 spans of MnDOT Bridge 5900 on TH 43 over the Mississippi River in Winona, MN. Bridge 5900 is a 2,287-foot-long 24-span structure comprised of concrete and steel beams, steel plate girders, steel deck trusses, and a three-span continuous steel through truss to remain over the Mississippi River.

Superstructure repairs include installing new strengthening plates on the three-span continuous upper chords, lower chords, vertical and diagonal truss members; installation of new high strength bars and wind restraints within the vertical and diagonal truss members, including pre-tensioning of H.S. bars; replacement of floor beam to bottom chord connections; removal and replacement of roadway stringers, lower lateral bracing, batten plates and lac

Danny’s Construction Company completed a temporary bypass bridge to help the motoring public get to and from San Francisco from Oakland, California. The bridge was used to re-route traffic so the new permanent San Francisco-Oakland Bay bridge could be completed. The project consisted of five spans of double deck truss bridges. Each span is about 250 feet long and carries five lanes of traffic in each direction on two levels of bridge decks. The job consisted of approximately 9,000 tons of structural steel and a weekend roll-in to final position.

Danny’s Construction Company was contracted to perform the retrofit work on the existing Meridian Bridge in Yankton, SD.  Built in 1924, the Meridian Bridge originally carried vehicle traffic along U.S. Highway 81. This newly retrofitted bridge is now a pedestrian bridge for the residents of Yankton.

Our scope of work included the reinforcement of the bottom chord of the bridge by adding new exterior and interior fill plates and gusset plates, along with replacing much of the existing horizontal wind bracing. At the gusset plate reinforcement, all the rivets had to be meticulously removed and replaced by bolts. Because of the unique layout required at each location, each gusset plate required field fabrication.

Danny’s Construction Company erected a vertical lift railroad bridge for the EJ & E Railroad over the Illinois River, replacing a bridge erected in the 1890’s.  The location of the bridge is near a bend in the river, and at only 120 feet, the original bridge was a navigational hazard for the many barges and tugboats on the river.  The replacement bridge has a span of 350 feet, thus widening the navigational channel for all the river traffic.  The bridge weighs nearly 1,300 tons and is 60 feet tall.

Danny’s Construction Company completed the erection of the BNSF two track lift span bridge that replaced the existing swing span bridge which stood for 119 years in Burlington, Iowa.  The new bridge, spanning 350 feet, doubles the width of the navigation channel on the Mississippi River.  The truss steel weighs 2,500 tons and is 80 feet tall. It was also in our scope to rough set all the operating machinery and operating and counterweight ropes. The replacement truss was erected on four barges floating on the ever-changing Mississippi River.

One highlight of this project was the float-out of the old swing span bridge and float-in of the new lift span during a 30-hour shutdown of train traffic the week of Christmas.  The work started on a Monday morning at 1:00am, and as the Ames crews accomplished the float-out, Danny’s Construction Company crews had to remove one set of the jump spans, rework the bearings, turn the girder spans around and reset them, and successfully float-in the new truss, landing it on the bearings.  This work was accomplished in frigid weather using three cranes mounted on barges, numerous barges supporting the work, and a team of tug boats to position the work and move equipment and people. The next milestone achieved was the successful lifting operation of the bridge in time for river traffic.  We are very proud of the accomplishments of our team on this project!