of an epoxy resin makes the repaired area stronger than the concrete was The bridge is built to carry more than double the heaviest traffic load expected during the worst traffic jams. MDOT spokesman William L. Shreck said old construction plans are not a new issue, but the problem with the Zilwaukee Bridge was. Zilwaukee Bridge. It didnt really work, and Zilwaukee did not turn into Milwaukee. On August 28, the temporary compression blocks started to crush, and a 300-foot-long bridge section sagged five feet on one end and three-and-a-half feet at the other. Only one side of the bridge is open at a time, and traffic is shifted on Tuesday and Saturday, based on peak times. (You can read a lot more about the construction issue here). It took several hours for tugs to move the ship back into Saginaw Bay. Each segment is manufactured with 10,000 pounds of reinforcing steel inside. Copyright 2022 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. This high-level, segmental concrete bridge spanning the Saginaw River is said to be the perfect example on how not to build a bridge. Zilwaukee Bridge crash leaves 49-year-old woman seriously injured SAGINAW COUNTY, MI - Police expect a 49-year-old Ortonville woman to survive serious injuries she sustained after being hit by. We froze the ground below the pier, we abandoned the footing in place because the footing was completely destroyed. These joints have to be kept perfectly immobile during construction, so they are filled with temporary blocks held in place with steel tendons. two spans of the bridge simultaneously. BAY CITY, Mich - Bay County 911 reports there are two different multi-vehicle accidents on both northbound and southbound I-75 on top of the Zilwaukee Bridge. Instead, a chemical compound called calcium magnesium acetate is used as an alternative. On some cold days these new sections could not be properly sealed against water infiltration, eventually leading to spalling as the water froze and expanded. Cast-in-place bridge segments are cast in traveling forms placed The total cost of the bridge project was around $127 million, with the federal funds paying for 90 percent of it, according to MDOT records. He was 49 years old. In 1979, construction started on a new, elevated bridge that ships could simply pass underneath. The original Zilwaukee Bridge as a four-lane draw bridge. Related: The story of Metro Detroits Cold War nuclear missile defense system: The original homeland security. I was not able to get a photograph of the bridge as as. The draw bridge was opening and we would hope it wasnt opening when we were there, Fleisher said. Start your calculations and predictions will three lanes over the Zilwaukee Bridge be enough? Michigan Highways > In Depth: The Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning. Back to: Section 2: Background Chris has a master's degree in history and teaches at the University of Northern Colorado. .004 inches (about the thickness of a human hair). He enjoys suffering through Lions games on Sundays in the fall. The project is expected to last through January 2015. the decision came to replace it with a high-level bridge. time it opened for river traffic. site. From MDOT: New guidelines recommend early, aggressive treatment for childhood obesity, Deaf student's Michigan lawsuit at center of Supreme Court case, Michigan secretary of state outlines policy hopes for legislative session, State survey: UP wolf population stable, may have reached capacity, Michigan to begin distributing $81 million opioid settlement money, How an 'anti-planner' helps artist with ADHD get stuff done, Price tag for keeping the Zilwaukee Bridge clear of ice and snow, I-75 North will continue across the bridge, I-75 South will shift onto I-75 northbound lanes and over the bridge. At the time, the project was the largest pre-cast concrete segmental bridge in the United States, and the largest project the MDOT had ever undertaken. Another important step is taken to protect steel cables from corrosion. Well, hold on -- not exactly. The best, most concise description of the Zilwaukee Bridge can be found The Department followed rigid procedures for quality control during the At Zilwaukee, added to one end of the completed group, and then a balancing segment is Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. to meet back up with US-23 (present-day M-13) girder picks up the segments from the truck and delivers them to the location When the bridge opened for river traffic, it sometimes caused miles-long traffic jams, especially during heavy travel days around the holidays and the start of firearms deer hunting season. The 1982 accident completely stopped construction. Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning. The Zilwaukee Bridge is one of the few, if not the only, bridge in Michigan that doesn't use salt to de-ice the roadway, an MDOT official said. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Department of Transportation in response to public concerns about The bridge was built segment by segment, working from one end of the river toward the other side. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. They rejected a proposed steel bridge in favor of a slightly cheaper concrete model estimated at $77M. Read about the Zilwaukee Bridge collapse in 1982 and its reconstruction. This drawbridge was meant to ease congestion, but made it worse as both vehicle and shipping traffic drastically increased. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. in France and Germany in the late 1950s and early 1960s. it was issued prior to the completion of the bridge and is worded accordingly. the opening of the (original) Zilwaukee Bridge in 1960 it became clear The Zilwaukee Bridge is a massive segmental concrete bridge that carries the I-75 over the Saginaw River in Michigan. The final bridge would not be completed until 1987-88, but finally, the people of Zilwaukee had a bridge that could handle their growth. a new contractor. The tilting also damaged the pier footing beneath it. The situation with old plans has been around for years, he said. The tractor and trailer combined weigh 102 tons. Now that is amazing. after it is opened to traffic. This process is repeated until the entire span is closed. Create your account. In 1979, with its Joint Venture partner Stevin Construction, Toebe won the contract to construct the Zilwaukee Bridge near Saginaw, Michigan. Bridge Report Aerial Imagery Additional The cause, according to Michigan Highways, was construction loads at that location were too heavy. MDOT closed the northbound lanes months longer than planned as a precaution and installed a steel brace on the outside of the massive concrete span that carries Interstate 75 traffic over the Saginaw River. Segments are transported from the fabricating plant to the bridge by a The work was completed in 2015 and was expected extend the life of the bridge until 2087. It was actually a four-lane draw bridge and a freeway beginning at the northern end of the. bascule bridge was permanently closed on that datebut only to automobile Thus, the new bridge is The segment of freeway utilizing the Zilwaukee Bridge is part of I-75 and US23. called tendons, to form a solid unit. in 1953. Kahn also expressed concern about future lane closures on the bridge. primary purpose of the epoxy is to act as an environmental seal of the More. or pillar. Traffic was shut down for about six months, before reopening in October of 2008. If not replaced, the normal shifting movements of the bridge would cause additional damage, thus reducing its lifespan. Construction efforts hit a major setback in August 1982, when, among other, less-significant causes, mispositioned weight crushed a temporary block placed in an expansion joint. The Saginaw Township Republican indicated he wants to avoid a repeat of a snafu that forced thousands of motorists to detour from the northbound lanes of the Zilwaukee Bridge for most of 2008. On example of a common but not simple auction is when the opponents compete vs. our 1NT Semi-Forcing bid. The segments at Zilwaukee were constructed at a specially designed casting The bearingsdesigned to support up to 8 million pounds eachrequire replacement because of normal wear and tear since the bridge's opening in 1987. The immediate response to the accident was to halt construction and investigate the extent of the damage. in the early-1980s which added many millions to the cost and years to the originally and prevents water seepage. The new contractor developed a method of heating the concrete to allow construction during the winter. Its purpose, though, was largely as a seal to keep out water and roadway contaminants. There will be about 27,000 miles of eighth-inch wire This helps to ensure that the bridge could withstand about twice as much weight as is predicted during peak traffic hours. While the Zilwaukee Bridge is a bit shorter than the Mackinac Bridge, it is much wider. When we were kids this thing was massive and scarrrrrryyyyy!! We have some major businesses here in town that must have that expressway open.. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (User Agreement updated 1/1/21. An MDOT report found the 2008 issues were due to faulty documentation from the original construction, according to Michigan Highways. Thanks to the new bridge, it is easy to get over the Saginaw. The Zilwaukee Bridge is one of the few, if not the only, bridge in Michigan that doesn't use salt to de-ice the roadway, an MDOT official said. That structure was supposed to be completed in 1983, but the collapse of a temporary compression block on an expansion joint in 1982 literally derailed the project. It was actually a four-lane draw bridge and a freeway beginning at the northern end of the 1953 bypass (at present-day M-13), crossing the bridge and continuing north into Bay City. The northbound portion of the bridge was finally opened to traffic on December 23, 1987, just in time for Christmas. Many have been High pressure injection Unfortunately, that wasn't the reality. While that may not sound like a lot, it's a big deal when talking about tons and tons of concrete and steel. earlier two-lane highway of Saginaw was incorporated into the new Interstate In 1979, construction on the elevated Zilwaukee Bridge, which accommodates both boat and vehicle traffic, began. Back to: Table of Contents, Michigan The Zilwaukee Bridge exists as an alternative to the federal governments original I-75 design. With the implementation of Interstate Highway System, developed by the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration, the two-lane highway was incorporated into the new highway which ran from Detroit to the Mackinac Bridge. Ha! at the intersecting roads. Many of the original stainless steel and teflon bearings have been replaced with a plastic material. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 23 chapters | If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. How to Survive and Journey through the Nanisivik Highway, The Ultimate Guide to Traveling the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway, Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road was closed permanently on April 2017, Dalton Highway is the loneliest road on Earth, Slettnes lighthouse: the road to the end of Europe, How to Stay Safe on Dangerous Roads: Preparing Your Car for Bad Weather Driving. They look like this: According to Michigan Highways, MDOT engineer Matthew Chynoweth says the bearings for the Zilwaukee Bridge are getting worn out. I say we go back to these days and watch the boats go by: 91.7 Ann Arbor/Detroit 104.1 Grand Rapids The present structure was designed to relieve traffic congestion along the freeway crossing it, resulting from repeated openings of the draw span for lake freighter traffic serving industrial sites along the river. Almost exactly nine months later, the southbound side of the Many Michigan seniors, like Tom Fleisher of West Bloomfield, remember the signs warning people. Top top it off, shipping traffic actually quadrupled in the years after A bit of a boring one, the Zilwaukee Bridge carries I-75 and US-23 over the Saginaw River and connects Zilwaukee with Zilwaukee Township. So a new footing was built over the old footing and that is anchored down into bedrock, Chynoweth said. About 15 years after it opened, plans to replace it with a high-level bridge would start gaining steam, according to Michigan Highways. Department of Transportation. plant at the bridge site. It wasnt until 1987 that the final piece of concrete would be installed, and the northbound lanes of I-75/US-23 were routed over the bridge just before Christmas in 1987. Here are some facts, myths and statistics about the bridge, which turns 30 this weekend. The effect caused one side of the 300-foot-long section of bridge deck to sag and the other to rise. feet in length to the huge I-205 Freeway Bridge, spanning the Columbia Much more on the In a recent e-mail to staffers, Kahn said he was concerned that this is a potential recurring construction mistake, recurring unnecessary costs and delays, and potentially dangerous at projects statewide. The bridge wasnt even open for traffic yet at this point. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. of concrete was installed on the bridge and the northbound lanes of the I-75/US-23 freeway The current bridge is not the first Zilwaukee River crossing. The four-lane, bascule bridge (or drawbridge) opened in 1960. were routed over the bridge for the first time on Wednesday, December 23, Hydraulic presses were used to realign the bridge. Posted December 22, 2019, by Mike Kerkau (mjkerkau [at] gmail [dot] com) One thing worth noting: Upon the opening of this bridge to traffic, it served a triple concurrency of I-75/U.S. And they did this to try and trick new settlers, like immigrants, into thinking it was actually Milwaukee. with post-tensioned steel cables to form the deck, or superstructure, of 21.6M vehicles cross each year. Todays Zilwaukee Bridge can be traced back to the 1950s, and the original two-lane highway bypass on the east side of Saginaw, which according to Michigan Highways was completed in 1953. Share YOUR roads!We'vemorethan 13.000 roads but we want more! each cable is about the size of a man's wrist. 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