I-81 over Preble Road – Preble, NY

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Project Details

• Owner: New York State Department of Transportation (Region 3)
• Contractor: Slate Hill Constructors Inc.
• Project Completion: 2014
• Scope: 8 Prefabricated Bridge Units (PBUs)

Project Overview

Fort Miller prefabricated and delivered eight Prefabricated Bridge Units (PBUs) to facilitate a faster, less disruptive replacement of two bridges along a section of Interstate 81 in Cortland County, NY. The use of PBU and other supportive technology allowed for limited, independent 3-day closures in each direction while addressing deck joint challenges.

The combination of weight (86 tons), length (82′-4″), and width (11′-7″) of these bridge units required special casting, handling, and delivery methods and equipment.

Scope and Details 

Interstate 81 is a major north-south corridor that extends from the border with Canada at Wellesley Island, New York to Dandridge, Tennessee. I-81 includes many bridges carrying the highway over town roads.

This project required the replacement of both the southbound and northbound I-81 Bridges over Preble Road in Preble, NY, just outside Syracuse. Each bridge required four Prefabricated Bridge Units, making up a total span of 75’, with the heaviest weighing approximately 103 tons.

The exterior PBUs were provided with a single slope barrier cast integrally with the PBUs. All the PBUs were cast with integral backwalls. 

Impact and Innovation 

Due to its location in Upstate, NY, this highway is often sprayed with deicing chemicals, leading to bridge deterioration and reduced service life caused by leaking deck joints.

A synergistic combination of innovative technologies provided a solution to reduce the number of deck joints and shorten the interstate closure window required for this repair.

A completely jointless bridge (integral bridge) was not feasible for the span required (75’) but a combination of precast semi-integral abutments and fieldcast UHPC (Ultra High-Performance Concrete) longitudinal joints allowed for superior durability.

Vertical staging underneath the existing bridge also shortened our closure window. Abutments were constructed while the bridge above was open to traffic and required only three days of closure in each direction.