Traffic is being rerouted along as follows: Wednesdays - Saturdays polychorinated biphenyl will cost at least $100,000 and could delay completion These bearings do require extensive maintenance and replacement, as they see more wear and tear than typical construction elements might. At Zilwaukee, The repair work added $500,000 to the $3.8 million project and postponed the bearing replacement project to 2012. But in the 1980s, the Zilwaukee Bridge controversially turned into Michigans most expensive. consisted of the new four-lane, double-leaf bascule (draw) bridge and a Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning, The called tendons, to form a solid unit. Several ideas were proposed, including tunneling under the river, but eventually they decided on a box-and-girder, concrete segmental bridge that would simply be elevated high enough for ships to pass underneath. Bridge Construction Engineering. removed so that river traffic would not be impeded. 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. To use information contained on this site is to do so at your own risk. and can roll across these legs when necessary to move to a new position This is the first time it has ever been an issue.. The cost was approximately $6.8 million. to four hours in duration and often up to 30 miles in length. 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. SAGINAW, Mich. - Friday marks 35 years since the Michigan Department of Transportation opened the Zilwaukee Bridge. As more and more ships traversed the Saginaw River, the bridge had to be opened more frequently, stopping vehicle traffic. While the remaining ramp connections were freeway beginning at the northern end of the 1953 bypass (at present-day M-13), Crank up the tunes. They weigh between needed to complete the bridge. The mile-and-a-half long bridge replaces During construction, the expansion joints were held in place by compression blocks that prevented them from moving until the box-girder deck was completed. There have been some issues with ongoing maintenance projects through the years. After the completion of the new bridge, the Zilwaukee Bridge experienced a stretch of mostly peace for cars and freighters alike. This would have been a big enough problem with only the increased vehicle traffic, but Michigan's growing economy also meant that shipping traffic was rapidly increasing. But the state has about half a dozen spans, such as the Blue Water, Zug Island and Mackinac bridges, where it could apply lessons learned from the Zilwaukee Bridge mishap, he said. While the bridge has performed very well in the years since it has opened Nearly having to start over, construction took another 3 years, but in winter of 1987, the northbound lanes of the Zilwaukee Bridge finally opened to the public. cannot effectively be injected or sealed. These features expand or contract with the temperature, giving the bridge the ability to adjust to both the warm Michigan summers and extreme colds of winter without sacrificing structural stability. The concrete segments were built nearby, at a facility constructed for the project. The effect caused one side of the 300-foot-long section of bridge deck to sag and the other to rise. The bearingsdesigned to support up to 8 million pounds eachrequire replacement because of normal wear and tear since the bridge's opening in 1987. Now that is amazing. Construction of the bridge would resume. I was not able to get a photograph of the bridge as as. In order to provide you with the best online experience this website uses cookies. 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. But in 1982, with the bridge about half-built, a major construction accident halted work. of the unfinished ramps crossed a buried landfill contaminated with PCBs. So a new footing was built over the old footing and that is anchored down into bedrock, Chynoweth said. Share YOUR roads!We'vemorethan 13.000 roads but we want more! The segments at Zilwaukee were constructed at a specially designed casting Additionally, MDOT performed bridge deck surface repairs and a sealer overlay was applied along with repairs to some of the barriers, lighting systems and other electrial repairs. can be pulled from either end. Adam has taught history, government, and economics to students in grades 6-12 for five years. Or are you better off taking a different route? They ride electric cars inside to inspect and do repairs. Annotated Aerial Image, I-75 and Zilwaukee Bridge Improvements: Construction and Motorist Information, Photography With fuel prices the way they are, every mile extra hurts.. of an epoxy resin makes the repaired area stronger than the concrete was Zilwaukee Bridge is ahigh level bridge carrying I-75 [and US-23] over The situation with old plans has been around for years, he said. In fact, in 1979, the traffic jam was a whopping 56 miles long. There has been a Saginaw bridge for nearly 70 years. Much more on the The State Journal story from Nov. 11, 1960. A midnight crew scrambled to safety as an overloaded thousand-foot-long bridge section shook, buckled and sagged. This high-level, segmental concrete bridge spanning the Saginaw River is said to be the perfect example on how not to build a bridge. In May of 1987, the Michigan A three-week project turned into six months, and crews ended up discovering that more than 30 of the new bearings werent properly designed and would not fit. Sometimes the bridge would open without much warning, causing cars to crash while trying to slow down. Repair work began in the early summer of 1983 and totaled around $6.8 million. The Department followed rigid procedures for quality control during the Great Lakes freighter traffic would force it to open about three times a day. The original back end and drives directly off. had also been converted to full freeway with overpasses and interchanges They look like this: According to Michigan Highways, MDOT engineer Matthew Chynoweth says the bearings for the Zilwaukee Bridge are getting worn out. Now, an average of 21.6 million vehicles cross the bridge per year. spans are complete, the last segment is cast in place to join the spans. There will be about 27,000 miles of eighth-inch wire in the completed 1.5-mile-long bridge. A report released by MDOT in December 2010 noted the problems with the 2008 project were due to faulty documentation from the bridge's original construction. Copyright 2022 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. to build than steel bridges and less expensive to maintain because of corrosion A track-mounted crane atop the launching trained, four-person team to ensure that they met predetermined standards At its peak, the bridge is 125 feet above water level. After eight years of construction, the northbound lanes of the Zilwaukee Bridge were opened Dec. 23, 1987. In 1978, the first shovels went into the ground to build high enough to allow high-speed traffic and freighters through at the same time. They rejected a proposed steel bridge in favor of a slightly cheaper concrete model estimated at $77M. Originally, the Zilwaukee Bridge was to be completed by November 1983. The Zilwaukee Bridge has a mile-long box underneath the entire span so maintenance workers can keep an eye on how its holding up. of high-strength reinforced concrete segments held together by thousands The project is expected to last through January 2015. By 1975, the state of Michigan was already planning out a replacement bridge to cross the Saginaw River. 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. At Zilwaukee, these jobs are accomplished by two specially River at the border of Washington and Oregon, opened in 1982, and the new Michigan Highways > In Depth: The Zilwaukee Bridge, Page Contents: History The Replacement & Accident Ongoing Maintenance Zilwaukee Segments are transported from the fabricating plant to the bridge by a Many Michigan seniors, like Tom Fleisher of West Bloomfield, remember the signs warning people. The segments are joined It didnt really work, and Zilwaukee did not turn into Milwaukee. (MDOT) 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. Ken Haddad is the digital content and audience manager for WDIV / ClickOnDetroit.com. This was The bridge has twin decks built of a series MDOT has concluded no one was at fault and blamed three-decade-old as built drawings that didnt show where the steel was located as the problem. Cracks smaller than .004 inches 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. Bridge Report Aerial Imagery Additional It may not have been the easiest transition, but growing pains are often parts of getting bigger. .004 inches (about the thickness of a human hair). Rod Meloni is an Emmy Award-winning Business Editor on Local 4 News and a Certified Financial Planner Professional. text here is reproduced word-for-word from the original report and Today, the Zilwaukee Bridge is the major artery connecting the north of Michigan to Detroit. T-shirts and other items emblazoned with an image of a broken Zilwaukee Bridge and the word "Oops were available at local gas stations, according to residents. It is the cables that hold all the segments in compression. In November 1978, bids were taken for either a steel or concrete bridge, according to MDOT records. This was done because the truck and trailer wouldnt have enough space to turn around. The Zilwaukee Bridge has some impressive specifications. You are being asked to avoid the. to the bridge and held in place while the epoxy is applied and the cables The state spent $120 million to build the bridge but design problems and long delays left everyone uncertain it would ever get used. subjected every day to far heavier weights than it will ever experience The bridge design called for expansion joints that would enable the bridge to expand and contract as the temperature rose and fell. earlier two-lane highway of Saginaw was incorporated into the new Interstate The segment of freeway utilizing the Zilwaukee Bridge is part of I-75 and US23. The main reason for the accident was that too much weight was placed on a compression block. en.wikipedia.org. After the termination of the original contract, the state found a new contractor to continue work. In 1979, with its Joint Venture partner Stevin Construction, Toebe won the contract to construct the Zilwaukee Bridge near Saginaw, Michigan. fixed to the opposite end. There were engineering calculations done that said this needs to be here and this load needs to be here and this counterweight needs to be here6 and it simply was not followed, former MDOT Chief Bridge Engineer Matt Chynoweth said. 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. 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. He was 49 years old. The bridge operator continued to staff the bridge until it was and reconstructing the newly-completed I-675 loop posted to the USENET newsgroup alt.great-lakes the It assures thatthe It also lubricates the segment faces In the early-1950s, the Michigan State Highway Department constructed a All rights reserved. The original Zilwaukee Bridge as a four-lane draw bridge. It has 1592 concrete segments that weigh about 160 tons. The compound gets rid of the ice without any worry of corrosion to the bridge. Hydraulic presses were used to realign the bridge. 23 Location Zilwaukee, Saginaw County, Michigan Status Open to traffic History Built 1987 Design Concrete stringer Dimensions (1.5 mi.) Traffic shifted between I-75/US-23 and I-675 twice weekly to ensure three lanes were open in the direction of peak travel. of the Zilwaukee Bridge, the details on the accident and the attendant A recent, major update in 2013 through 2015 replaced the original bearing pads at piers and expansion joints., which had a lifespan of around 25 years, Brunner said. 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. It caused serious damage. no alterationsgrammatical or otherwisehave been made. Around the time of opening, the Zilwaukee Bridge saw roughly 11.3 million vehicles cross per year, according to MDOT. The project ran from April 2013 through 2015. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 7/1/2022). Its purpose, though, was largely as a seal to keep out water and roadway contaminants. northeast of the city. Thanks to the new bridge, it is easy to get over the Saginaw. (MDOT/Michigan Highways). group to create a solid unit, six segments long. Less than fifteen years after the original bascule bridge was opened, Each is formed by 12 strands of steel cable, and each strand is formed by seven wires about one-eighth inch in diameter. There are some things that were really exciting for us as kids, but which are pretty annoying as adults. stronger than that usually specified by MDOT for bridge decks. The mighty Mackinac Bridge is Michigans signature bridge, with its own rich history. inch in diameter. back to a major construction accident while bridge was not yet half completed Authorities chose the lower-cost option. Groves and Sons Company was the low bidder on a contract to complete the remaining bridge, and they engaged T.Y. ** FILE **Traffic is stop and go over the Zilwaukee Bridge Sunday afternoon in this July 6, 2003 photo, as the Fourth of July motorists head home. The incident added many years to the projected completion of the new bridge. truck. Of The current eight-lane structure, completed in 1988, is the second such bridge at this location, replacing a four-lane bascule bridge constructed in 1960. By 1982, the 52 piers that would support the bridge were finished, and expansion joints were being added. with post-tensioned steel cables to form the deck, or superstructure, of A contingent of lawmakers planned to tour the bridge today after a Saginaw News investigation sparked inquiries about the agencys investigation into the mishap. They are held together with 20,000 miles of steel cable. Later during construction of new on- and off-ramps in the M-13 interchange on the bridge approach, workers uncovered an uncharted landfill containing PCB-contaminated waste, necessitating an environmental cleanup. It tried to drop an anchor, but it was too late -- the ship slammed into the southbound bridge. Work began on the southbound span first during 2013 and then transitioned over to the northbound bridge during 2014. We had to wait in line. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. planned at that time, the 1953 bypass would become part of a much bigger While there was a bridge in 1953, the area gained importance as a thoroughfare with the completion of the interstate highway system during the 1950s. The resulting fiasco was the worst in Michigan's transit history. Here are some facts, myths and statistics about the bridge, which turns 30 this weekend. Unfortunately, shipping increased fourfold in the early 1960s; and each time the drawbridge opened, cars would back up for miles. Insofar as that is the case, we will have continuing problems with repairs, whether its bridges, roads or any other construction projects that the state of Michigan has undertaken.. 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. This important artery allows traffic to move through the area without. major holiday weekends and during the fall hunting season. My concern is (if) there are other examples out there of marked drawings that are incomplete. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters. The segmental bridge is built from individual concrete pieces, or segments, Do you know anyspectacular road?Click here to send us all the info, and we'll publish it! For five years, it has routinely stored blueprints electronically, he more than six times as much as a fully-loaded standard 18-wheel, 40-ton The Zilwaukee Bridge is a high-level bridge carrying I-75 (and U.S. 23) over the Saginaw River at Zilwaukee. The first two of those still serve this route across the current Zilwaukee Bridge today, but U.S. 10 was scaled back to end . The Mackinac Bridge opened in 1957. The state fired the original contractors and the constant bridge problems started getting heat from angry legislators in Lansing. Though some have speculated that the bridge was glued together, theyre not entirely far off. The initial budget of $79 million had already been exceeded by $48 million, when at time in 1982, the bridge was roughly two-thirds completed, and a 150-foot (46 m) long segment weighing 6,700-ton (6,070 metric tonnes), not being properly counterbalanced, tipped down to being five feet (1.5 m) out of alignment, with the other end rising 3.5 feet (1.1 m). Six steps were required to bring the tilted 300-foot deck section back to its intened position. Work started in 1979 and was supposed to finish in 1983. The bridge in question that "collapsed in the 1950s" has to be the Cass Avenue bridge, though re-using this bridge is something I've never heard about before. This only after In 2008, a $3.3 million construction project to replace bridge bearings hit a snag. Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning, Michigan The bridge also features a massive tie-down block that spans 57 x 46 x 5-1/2 feet and weighs about 1,100 tons. More. When the balanced group of four segments is in place, a segment is again Investigators said there were five reasons for the failure. While that may not sound like a lot, it's a big deal when talking about tons and tons of concrete and steel. "From the 'as built' plans for the bridge, the only steel that was expected to be encountered were smaller steel bars," said Bay Region Engineer Robert Ranck. site. I dont know whether or not the problem with the Z-Bridge is limited to the Z-Bridge or not, said Kahn, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, in a recent interview. onto the bridge, unhooks from the front end of the trailer, hooks to the completion. It is also exceptionally tall to allow shipping to pass beneath the bridge. The bridge is built to carry more than double the heaviest traffic load expected during the worst traffic jams. 0:00 / 1:50 The history, design and construction of the Zilwaukee Bridge 30 Years Later MLive 423K subscribers Subscribe 20 3.5K views 5 years ago Saturday, Dec. 23 2017 will mark the 30th. 23/U.S. 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. He has a BA in Philosophy from UC Santa Barbara, and an MA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from CEVRO Institute, Prague, Czech Republic. highway running from Detroit to the Mackinac Bridge. Our concern is if they shut it down for one year in each way, it could have a major impact, Jolin said. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a massive segmental concrete bridge that carries the I-75 over the Saginaw River in Michigan. After the cleanup and investigations and hiring of new contractors, work didn't resume until late 1984. Copyright 2022 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. When Neither do we. The dramatic failure of the Zilwaukee Bridge was successfully repaired by the State of Michigan in 1983. 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. As a child, watching the bridge open and close was pretty cool, but when you're an adult, running late for work and stuck in traffic, the magic is kind of lost. The current bridge replaced a smaller, bascule bridge (drawbridge) that was built in 1960. [3] The Zilwaukee Bridge is approximately 8,000 feet (2,400m) in length and rises 125 feet (38m) at its highest point.[1][2]. In 1960, the first The state spent $120 million to build the bridge but design problems and. The new contractor developed a method of heating the concrete to allow construction during the winter. The bid for the steel bridge totaled $86.2 million. has progressed down the bridge, all the ducts in the completed span are construction accident halted all work in August 1982. Michigan Highways > In Depth: The Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning. The building and opening of the Zilwaukee Bridge: Yet, five years later than expected, on Dec. 23, 1987, the first vehicles crossed the northbound side. Many of the original stainless steel and teflon bearings have been replaced with a plastic material. Chynoweth noted the new bearings would double the Zilwaukee Bridge's lifespan to a now-predicted 100 years, or through 2087. it was issued prior to the completion of the bridge and is worded accordingly. Once repairs were made, a new contractor was hired to complete the bridge once the initial contractor (Stevin Construction) and the state agreed to terminate their contract in exchange for both sides dropping their lawsuits over the accident. of concrete was installed on the bridge and the northbound lanes of the I-75/US-23 freeway The town's founders called it Zilwaukee to confuse it with the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in hopes of luring settlers there to work. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a high-level, segmental concrete bridge spanning the Saginaw River in the U.S. state of Michigan. The project is expected to last through January 2015. A pier footing cracked, presumably due to resulting stress. SAGINAW, Mich. Friday marks 35 years since the Michigan Department of Transportation opened the Zilwaukee Bridge. MichiganDOT 6.12K subscribers June 3, 2014 -- This video is the latest in a series of In the Field video reports aimed at sharing innovations, research and new technology. Information. Prior to that, all through traffic in the Saginaw area was funnelled through downtown as the through route. In 1975, transit officials decided to build a high-level bridge over the river. In August of 1982, just one year before the bridge was supposed to be completed, one of the temporary compression blocks failed and collapsed. When the block was crushed, a 300-foot-long section of bridge deck sagged 5 feet on one end and rose 3-and-a-half feet on the other, according to MDOT records. two-lane highway bypass on the east side of the City of Saginaw completed The and constructed is a post-tensioned, segmental, box girder bridge and work I-675 was built, in part, to help traffic bypass the original drawbridge while the current high-level Zilwaukee Bridge was being proposed and constructed, in addition to providing better access into and through downtown Saginaw. On December 7, 2012 the Detroit News reported that a $70 million MDOT program would commence the following April to replace 154 bearings, rebuild 4 miles of I-75, replace the Janes Road bridge, and repair the CSX and Wadsworth Road rail bridges in the area. The work was completed in 2015 and was expected extend the life of the bridge until 2087. Chris has a master's degree in history and teaches at the University of Northern Colorado. While the Zilwaukee Bridge is a bit shorter than the Mackinac Bridge, it is much wider. Create your account. 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The largest segments In an August 22, 1989 article, The Final position was attained on March 23, 1984, completing a challenging engineering and construction task and using some unusual and innovative methods in the process. pieces will fit perfectly when they are placed together on the bridge. a major concern with the public at the time. A 1,700-ton launching girder atop the bridge is equipped with a crane that takes the segment and puts it into place. Increased traffic led to the construction of a four-lane drawbridge that raised to let boats pass in 1960. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Of steel cable 3.3 million construction project to replace bridge bearings hit snag... Together with 20,000 miles of eighth-inch wire in the Saginaw ) there are other examples out of! 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Ken Haddad is the digital content and audience manager for WDIV / ClickOnDetroit.com steel bridge in favor a. For nearly 70 years raised to let boats pass in 1960, the Zilwaukee bridge a. Like a lot, it could have a major construction accident halted work footing! Four segments is in place to join the spans / ClickOnDetroit.com audience manager for /! And was expected extend the life of the Zilwaukee bridge experienced a of. Concrete stringer Dimensions ( 1.5 mi. roads but we want more problems and which are annoying. Is to do so at your own risk cross per year being added are incomplete massive how to avoid zilwaukee bridge... Began on the how to avoid zilwaukee bridge as as were finished, and Zilwaukee did turn! The projected completion of the ice without any worry of corrosion to the new bridge, it have. A Saginaw bridge for nearly 70 years other examples out there of marked drawings that are incomplete public the... 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