Owner: New York State Department of Transportation
Contractor: The Modern Continental Construction Co., Inc.
Designer: Earth Tech
The Long Island Expressway Bridge over 58th Street in Queens, NY carries (6) lanes of traffic on each level. The precast concrete Inverset System was chosen to replace the deteriorated second level superstructure because it could be installed and put into service during weekend closures, minimizing disruption to this heavily traveled artery. This was the first time Inverset units were framed into a center bent and made fully continuous over two spans.
The existing second level superstructure was removed and replaced in two consecutive weekends while two lanes of traffic were maintained on the second level and (6) lanes of traffic were maintained on the third level. The presence of the third level made it particularly challenging for the contractor to use conventional cranes. Computer 3-D modeling was used beforehand to verify that the work could proceed flawlessly.
To ensure rapid over-the-weekend installation, the contractor pre-erected the entire bridge in Fort Miller’s precast yard. A total of 2,144 holes were predrilled to assure proper fit and minimize field erection time.
