Gerwicks 585ton floatting cofferdam for the repair of a. By the time construction was completed in march 2015, 77 pontoons had been built in aberdeen and tacoma, and floated. The following elements are proposed as part of the sr 520 pontoon construction project. Crews sealed cracks with epoxy, posttensioning and a carbonfiber wrap. During the first year of construction, crews in aberdeen constructed the casting basin in which the pontoons were built. But less than a week before news broke that cracks in 520 pontoons. Pontoon construction project project management plan part 1. The state chose to design the pontoons for the sr 520 bridge on a fast track, rather than make contractors responsible for them, and inspections have now revealed that preexisting cracks on the pontoons have grown worse over the winter. Problems on sr520 floating bridge causing delays, cost overruns. Wsdot says it wants to show more transparency as the repair process on cracked pontoons continues. Construction of new sr 520 pontoons began in 2011 in both aberdeen and tacoma.
Drinking on the job, leaks and cracks with the new 520 bridge pontoons, and now the problem solvers have uncovered alleged construction flaws at safeco field and with the iconic bay bridge in. May 17, 2016 the first sr 520 floating bridge opened on august 28, 1963. Several of them sprung leaks and cracks after the cement set in aberdeen. This is where the pontoons that have been floated in from aberdeen and tacoma are located now. You may have heard about some issues with the large concrete pontoons being built for the new 520 bridge across lake washington.
Pontoon cracks will push 520 bridge completion to 2015 the state plans to spend tens of millions of dollars in contingency funds to repair existing cracks and prevent. Wsdot says cracks in new sr520 pontoons are par for the. Pontoon problems have plagued the sr 520 bridge project. The three types of pontoons that will support the new sr 520 floating bridge. State fires top bridge engineer over 520 pontoon flaws the seattle. What it takes to keep a 7,700foot floating bridge from doom. The floating bridge replacement is part of the sr 520 bridge replacement and hov program which aims to replace the sr 520 floating bridge and improve the portage bay bridge and approach roads in the corridor. Cracking is discovered in one of the cycle 1 pontoons constructed in aberdeen. Big cranes and construction barges line the shores of medina, where the easternmost span of stateroute 520 meets land. Floating cofferdam for repair of the washington sr520 floating. After publication of the final eis, fhwa will issue a. A bid to build the pontoons for a new sr 520 floating bridge have come in under the states estimate with a kiewitgeneral joint venture submitting the apparent best price and technical proposal. Sr 520 pontoon and floating bridge progress update. Chris gregoire and other officials celebrated the start of a construction project that brought jobs to the community and helped replace the vulnerable state route 520 floating bridge across lake washington.
The problem solvers first exposed the cracks and leaks in pontoons. The best practices will be used by the designbuild team that won the contract to build new pontoons for the state route 520 evergreen point floating bridge. Sr 520 bridge replacement and hov program julie meredith, p. Cracked 520 bridge pontoons headed for drydock repairs the. Wsdot begins repairs on the affected pontoon and preemptive. The sr 520 s three types of concrete pontoons the largest pontoons, labelled as the longitudinal pontoons. Timevariable tolling on the existing sr 520 bridge began in 2011 to help fund the project, and will continue on the new bridge until at least the 2050s. Gerwick, marine and bridge engineering firm commissioned by kgm.
Test pontoon prepares team for realtime construction 2010. New state route 520 floating bridge opens to traffic on. More than 115,000 vehicles cross the aging sr520 floating bridge between seattle and bellevue on a daily basis, and it was imperative that the washington state department of transportation wsdot provide commuters a new, safer and more modern bridge to withstand potential seismic activity and severe weather. Washington transportation secretary paula hammond announced this week that wsdot is. Pontoon t was floated out of the vigorowned dry dock thursday, aug. If a 100year storm event were to occur, the pontoons are designed to prevent large cracks. The project is the first construction phase of the sr 520 i5 to median.
Pontoon cracks will push 520 bridge completion to 2015. Kgm is implementing the quality assurance program that is a key component of our contract, said julie meredith, sr 520 program director. Sr520 pontoon construction general construction company. Nov 15, 2012 wsdot says cracks in new sr 520 pontoons are par for the course. Flaws in the design led to cracks during posttensioning of the first four. The washington state department of transportation and its contractors have reached agreements on the cost of repairing four pontoons from the first construction cycle and modifying another four pontoons from the second cycle for the new state route 520 floating bridge. The next batch of pontoons for the new state route 520 bridge are currently under construction in aberdeen, and improved design and construction techniques will be used to eliminate concrete spalling and reduce cracking. The new pontoons are designed for a 75year service life to withstand windstorms up to 89 mph and a 1,000year earthquake event. Cracks in the pontoon end walls which extended into the keel slab beneath the pontoons. July 2009 page 3 introduction this document is the project management plan for the sr 520 bridge replacement and hov programs pontoon construction project. According to wsdot, the latest jobs report counted 832 jobs directly connected to the pontoon and floating bridge project sites. Videos regarding the pontoons constructed for the new sr 520 floating bridge. The current bridge is structurally deficient, having had many repairs and seismic upgrades in recent years, and faces safety and congestion issues. A total of 77 pontoons were constructed in aberdeen and tacoma before being floated to lake washington, where the pontoons form the backbone of the new sr 520 floating bridge.
Seattle secretary hammond announced tuesday that wsdot is making repairs and design modifications to the sr 520 pontoons to ensure a 75year life of. Engineer jeff carpenter describing how pontoon cracks are being patched to ensure they will last. Building a new 520, the worlds longest floating bridge. Sr 520 bridge replacement and hov program resource library. Construction of one of the worlds longest floating bridges, connecting seattle with medina, washington on state route sr 520, has been completed and will open for traffic in midapril.
Rosellini bridge, carries washington state route 520 across lake washington from seattle to its eastern suburbs. Sr 520 i5 to medinaevergreen point floating bridge. The new 520 bridges construction site on lake washington is seen in. Washington state department of transportation wsdot characteristics. Additional work on the 520 bridge pontoons could cost tens of millions of. Afloat for more than 50 years, the fourlane bridge. The sr 520 bridge crosses lake washington, linking seattle and its neighboring cities to the east. Test pontoon prepares team for realtime construction. New state route 520 floating bridge opens to traffic on april.
Many thousands of tech workers rely on sr 520 to get back and forth across lake washington. The washington transportation department says more cracks have been found in pontoons under construction in aberdeen for the new highway 520 floating bridge on lake washington at seattle. Seattle one washington state department of transportation employee was fired and another was demoted over the design flaws that caused cracks in the first batch of new state route 520 bridge. The sr 520 project includes the evergreen point bridge and it is the replacement of the floating pontoon section, fixed approach structures, and adjacent highway sections that are the subjects of the actt workshop. Rosellini, opened on august 28, 1963, carrying the fourlane state route 520 at the time designated temporarily as the evergreen point branch of primary state highway 1 until the 1964 state highway renumbering. The pontoon construction project groundbreaking took place in aberdeen on feb. The potential for congestion is the reason for this twopart project, said dave ziegler, principal engineer on the pontoon construction project for wsdot. Aug 26, 20 construction crews have completed repairs to a s. Bid for new sr 520 bridge pontoons comes in under estimate.
Work has been under way to address cracking discovered last month. New state route 520 floating bridge opens to traffic on april 25, 2016. Sr 520 i5 to medinaevergreen point floating bridge change order. Sr 520 pontoon repair costs announced kxro newsradio. The 7,710foot bridge replaces the evergreen point floating bridge, which stood for 52 years as the longest floating highway. The changes come on the heels of several komo problem solver investigative reports that uncovered ongoing issues. Seattle repairs and design modifications are coming to the pontoons that will support the new state route 520 floating bridge, the state department of transportation announced tuesday. The change orders to fix the cracks due to pontoon. The sr 520 bridge crosses lake washington, linking seattle and its. The evergreen point floating bridge, also known as the 520 bridge and officially the governor albert d. Nov 19, 2012 problem pontoons fixed and now floating. Construction of the new sr 520 pontoons continued in 20.
Pontoon construction project project management plan. Inner structures of pontoons for the new sr 520 bridge. Discover sr 520 floating bridge key facts and common questions. During the third year of construction, crews in aberdeen finished constructing pontoon cycles 2, 3 and 4. Jul 31, 20 sr 520 pontoon repair costs announced july 31, 20 kxro newsradio the washington state department of transportation have announced the cost of repairing four pontoons from the first construction cycle and modifying another four from the second cycle for the new state route 520 floating bridge. Wsdot is moving forward with pontoon construction to replace the aging and. Sr 520 bridge replacement and hov program floating bridge. Sr 520 pontoon repair costs announced july 31, 20 kxro newsradio the washington state department of transportation have announced the cost of repairing four pontoons from the first construction cycle and modifying another four from the second cycle for the new state route 520. The cracks were repaired with epoxy grout or crystalline sealant. During the first round of pontoon construction, crews encountered spalling chipped concrete and cracking in pontoon end walls. Second round of 520 pontoons under construction in aberdeen. The change orders are paid from the sr520 contingency reserves, sec. Repairs and design modifications are coming to the pontoons that will support the new state route 520 floating bridge, the state department of transportation announced tuesday.
The evergreen point floating bridge, also known as the 520 bridge and officially the governor. Sep 11, 20 sr 520 floating bridge and landings project deputy construction manager greg meadows shares an overview of repair procedures made to pontoon w, one of four cycle 1 sr 520 bridge pontoons requiring. The sr 520 floating bridge project has been riddled with problems. The 7,710footlong 2,350 m floating span is the longest floating bridge in the world, as well as the worlds widest measuring 116 feet 35 m at its midpoint. Wsdot says cracks in new sr520 pontoons are par for the course. Though the cracks didnt create a risk that the bridge itself would fail, they would have let water seep into the pontoons, leading to corrosion that would have. Cracked 520 bridge pontoons headed for drydock repairs. The sr 520 bridge crosses lake washington to link seattle and its neighboring cities to the east. State fires top bridge engineer over 520 pontoon flaws. Cracks in some pontoons have forced costly repairs. Com congratulations to wsdot and project partners on the sr 520 floating bridge grand.
Komo investigators uncover more problems with kiewit. A crack, even one just onesix thousandth of an inch wide, is considered a structural flaw for a pontoon because it allows water to get inside and compromise the structural integrity of the entire. Jun 25, 2010 test pontoon prepares team for realtime construction. Wsdot says cracks in new sr 520 pontoons are par for the course. If a 100year storm event were to occur, the pontoons are designed to prevent large cracks from developing that would allow water to leak in and sink the bridge. This project is the first construction phase of the sr 520 i5 to medina.
Sr 520 floating bridge and landings project seattle, washington page 4 scope of work the new bridge consists of a floating bridge structure at 7,708. The new 520 bridge s construction site on lake washington is seen in november looking west. A crowd of more than 200 cheered in grays harbor as gov. Titled euphemistically as the acme project accelerated construction methods and engineering the intent of the mockup was to optimize the geometry of the pontoons to sim. The first stage of the sr 520 floating bridge replacement project was the construction of 77 concrete. Construction on on the new 520 bridge across lake washington, just north of the old bridge. Sr 520, floating bridge and landings project federal aid no. In order for the bridge to withstand the 100year design storm, complete. The designbuild contractor for the sr 520 pontoon construction project, a joint venture of omahabased kiewit corp. Each cycle was composed of six pontoons, which were.
Kurt schlosser geekwire once the new bridge opens to traffic, work will begin on dismantling the old. Past storms sheared off components on the old sr 520 floating bridge and caused pontoon cracks and leaks that required significant maintenance and retrofits. The new 520 bridge was originally slated to open late next year, but the state said that because of the pontoon problem, that opening has been delayed at least a year and possibly as late as early. The pontoon construction project is one of several projects that make up the larger corridor. Problem pontoons fixed and now floating 20121119 enr.
Washington state department of transportation wsdot has reached agreement with its pontoon contractor for added costs associated with building pontoons for the new state route 520 floating bridge. The washington state department of transportation and its contractors have reached agreements on the cost of repairing four pontoons from the first construction cycle and modifying another four. In the case of sr 520, thats 77 giant boxes of air, the largest of them 28 feet tall, 75 feet wide, and 360. Cracks in the pontoon end walls which extended into the keel slab beneath the pontoons were. Two of the four cracked pontoons for the new highway 520 bridge will be towed back out of lake washington and hoisted aboard dry docks where engineers think they can be fixed faster than if. Repair costs, and revised schedule for sr 520 pontoons. The original evergreen point floating bridge, also named for state governor albert d. Sr 520 bridge replacement and hov program washington. How do earthquakes affect the floating section of the sr 520 bridge. Wsdot announces sr 520 pontoon design changes and repairs. State fires top bridge engineer over 520 pontoon flaws the. Gerwicks 585ton floatting cofferdam for the repair of a bridge. One employee fired, one demoted over 520 bridge work. The state route 520 floating bridge in seattle, washington.
But the state department of transportation says drivers dont need to worry. Want a copy of a graphic we displayed at an open house. Sr 520 bridge replacement and hov program february. The extent of cracking included cracks at the pontoon ends with cracks along the external bottom surface keel and external walls. Structure magazine floating cofferdam for repair of the. The proposed project includes emergency preparedness and repair activities in the event of a catastrophic failure of the state route sr 520 floating bridge across lake washington in king county, washington. Our resource library contains all the pdfs, reports, and images we create about all aspects of the sr 520 bridge replacement and hov program. It was originally named the evergreen point floating bridge, but became known as the 520 bridge after state route 520, the highway the bridge carries across the lake.