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State Supplement sponsored by:

441

Cornella 19

Rome 85 27

Athens

GEORGIA STATE EDITION

A Supplement to:

441

Atlanta

Madison Augusta

Griffin 1

129

Milledgeville

La Grange

Macon

301

185 19

Dublin

Swainsboro Oak Park

Columbus

Statesboro

341 441 16

Lyons Americus

Savannah

McRae

301

Cordele

27 82

Dorchester

341

Cuthbert

Albany

Douglas Tifton

Blakely

Pearson 27 84

Moultrie

19 319

Bainbridge

Valdosta Thomasville

1 441

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Waycross Brunswick 82

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September 26 2018

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Vol. XIX • No. 20

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In With the New… Out With the Old on Chestatee River

GDOT photo

Having completed the Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT) new $22 million State Route 53 bridge — the Bolling Bridge — over the Chestatee River (Lake Lanier) last July, vehicles are now using it and the Scott Bridge Company Inc. has started the demolition of the old steel truss bridge (built in 1955/56).

By Irwin Rapoport

In With the New… The $19.7 million project consisted of a new two lane bridge that is approximately 7.3 mi. west of the city of Gainesville. The work area (0.74 mi. in Forsyth and Hall counties) is approximately 0.39 mi. southwest of the Chestatee River and extends to a point approximately 0.35

Scott Bridge photo

The barges went from one end to the other, drilling the caissons down into the lake bed to the Hall County side.

mi. northeast of the river. The 987-ft.-long bridge has two 12-ft. lanes with 8-ft. shoulders. The new roadway approaches provide two 12-ft. lanes and 10-ft. shoulders, including a 2-ft. paved section. The new bridge construction began in late 2015 and, save for a few days of rain and other weather-related delays, the construction has been non-stop, including several night shifts to pour concrete for the caissons and the deck. …And Out With the Old The old bridge was determined to be structurally deficient and was eligible for federal bridge replacement funding. GDOT inspects bridges every two years by Federal regulations. “If the grading drops below a certain point, it goes on a list as to whether it is more cost efficient to continue maintaining or just replace it. When it falls below that rating, it doesn’t mean that it’s unsafe. They look at more from maintenance

standpoint,” said Derek Wade, GDOT construction manager (Level 4), who was assigned to the project. A GDOT public document described the state of the old bridge. “The existing vertical clearance… is approximately 17 feet above the normal pool elevation of the lake [Elevation 1071 feet],” it noted. “The existing maximum horizontal clearance between bridge piers is approximately 285 feet, between the two center piers. The Bolling Bridge is a fracture critical structure that has been struck by vehicles on numerous occasions due to the low clearance of the overhead steel trusses [15 feet above the bridge deck]. The deck within the main spans is currently six inches thick and is exhibiting transverse and longitudinal cracking, as well as some minor concrete deterioration on the underside of the deck. “Some of the floor beams and stringers have also experisee BRIDGE page 6

Page 2 • September 26, 2018 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS

New Inland Port Boosts Business in Peach State By Russ Bynum ASSOCIATED PRESS

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A new inland port terminal that moves cargo by train from northern Georgia to the busy coastal seaport in Savannah is generating new economic interest in an area better known for nature tourism than industry. The Georgia Ports Authority and state taxpayers spent $23.5 million building the Appalachian Regional Port in Murray County about 90 mi. north of Atlanta. Gov. Nathan Deal and other dignitaries celebrated the completion of the rail port, Aug. 29, where trains began hauling shipping containers along more than 380 mi. of tracks linking the inland terminal to the Port of Savannah. The investment is similar to two inland cargo hubs that rival S.C. State Ports Authority has built in the Upstate and Pee Dee region to provide those areas with a rail-served link to and from the Port of Charleston. Georgia’s Murray County isn’t used to high-profile ribbon cuttings. The county is located along the southern edge of the Appalachian Mountains, and one-third of its land area is federally protected forestland. Lakes and state parks attract a healthy tourism business. But the new rail terminal is generating interest among potential new employers, said Illya Copeland, executive director of the Murray County Industrial Development Authority. “I’m working on three closings right now, literally all three at the same time,” said Copeland, adding that six other prospects put off making decisions until after the terminal opened. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen this kind of activity in Murray County in such a short period of time.” The direct railroad connection gives shippers an alternative to moving cargo by truck through Atlanta. The terminal should reduce truck traffic by 25,000 round trips in its first year, and reach 50,000 round trips within five years, said Griff Lynch, executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority. Lynch said his agency wanted inland customers near the Georgia-Tennessee line to feel like they are “at our back doorstep.” “It’s a fairly long truck drive at six, seven hours or more, so we said how can we make it easier to do business with the Georgia

ports?” Lynch said. “This opens up a new door and we’re seeing a lot of interest as a result.” The rail terminal has a healthy industrial base nearby, from carpet and flooring manufacturers in Dalton to poultry producers and chemical plants. Volkswagen makes cars just across the state line in Chattanooga, Tenn., about 40 mi. to the northwest. Lynch said the rail port could see business from automakers in Alabama as well. Companies already planning to use the rail terminal, according to a news release, include Mohawk Flooring of Calhoun and Thompson Appalachian Hardwoods, a lum-

“I don’t think we’ve ever seen this kind of activity in Murray County in such a short period of time.” Illya Copeland

Murray County Industrial Development Authority

ber company based in Huntland, Tenn. While the Georgia Ports Authority will operate the rail terminal, Murray County taxpayers and railroad company CSX Transportation shared in the cost. Murray County officials put up $700,000 to buy farmland for the terminal site a few miles from Interstate 75. And CSX paid for laying new track to connect the terminal to its network. The port authority hired 11 workers to staff the rail terminal, which operates three electric cranes to move cargo containers. Lynch said all of them were hired from the Murray County area and spent several months training in Savannah. The state has one other inland rail terminal located in Cordele in southwest Georgia, that’s run by a private company. And Lynch said port officials are looking for a site to build another in northeast Georgia. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.) CEG

Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 26, 2018 • Page 3

Page 4 • September 26, 2018 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 26, 2018 • Page 5

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Page 6 • September 26, 2018 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Scott Bridge Delivers New Bolling Bridge on Schedule BRIDGE from page 1

enced minor section loss,” it added. “Swelling of the steel within some of the connection areas between the gusset plates and floor beams has also been observed. All of the sections of the substructure also exhibit minor cracking. Due to the lack of structural integrity of the existing bridge, replacement of this structure is recommended, and repair is infeasible [logistics and engineering].” A Vital Artery The bridge is important to area commuters, with 12,500 vehicles using it daily in 2017. “It’s one of the main arteries coming out of Gainesville over to SR 400 U.S. 19,” said Wade. “The GDOT photo old bridge served its purThe deck is ready for the pose.” reinforcing steel The new footprint was chosen “to maintain traffic north of the centerline of the during the construction existing bridge. phase, as there are no reasonThe bridge, which has 12 able detours available to caissons, was designed by accommodate motorists GDOT photo GDOT and has an expected traveling along SR 53 during The new bridge has no overhead trusses, just a conthe construction period. The crete deck and concrete barrier wall on both sides. lifespan of several decades. “The biggest challenge replacement bridge would Here it is awaiting the concrete pour. was the staging — particuhave a minimum vertical larly the top portion of it,” clearance of 17 feet above the normal pool elevation of the said Wade. “We just don’t have the room like we normally lake and a maximum horizontal clearance of approximately would to do all the construction at one time. We had to 250 feet, measured from either side of the central pier to each restrict one end of the bridge to complete the construction of of the outside piers.” the roadway area, shoulders and guardrail section in the last The GDOT document also noted that “the project area is stage before we put traffic in the final configuration on the characterized by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Hall County side.” land on each side of the crossing and by nearby parkland and On the environmental side, two nesting platforms for residential development. The USACE parkland east of the Osprey had to be placed on Lake Lanier. Chestatee River crossing is located in Hall County and is “The birds built their nests on the peaks of the trusses of known as Little Hall Park. The USACE-owned property the old bridge,” said Wade. “Knowing the old bridge was west of the crossing in Forsyth County is classified as recregoing away, we manufactured the platforms using telephone ational land and is unofficially known as Bolling Hill Park. poles and placed them with the help of the USACE. The The Chestatee River/Lake Lanier is considered a navigable department is environmentally minded and we always try to waterway by the USACE.” help our environment anyway we can.” A Conventional Design Smooth Sailing The new bridge, a conventional design based on a steel The bridge construction proceeded well and the project is girder substructure, has no overhead trusses — just a conslightly under budget. crete deck and concrete barrier wall on both sides. The cen“It’s probably one of the smoother operations that I’ve terline of the replacement structure is approximately 68 ft. seen with 25 years in GDOT,” said Wade. “Once they moved in with their barges — they did most of their work off them, it went from one end to the other, drilling the caissons down into the lake bed to the Hall County side. Once the casings, columns, and caps went in, they set up the beams and so forth and poured the deck. It’s like putting a puzzle together.” There were no soil issues, save for one caisson having to exceed the standard depth by 20-ft. plus. It took nearly 18 months to prepare the bridge so that the top upper structure — steel beams and pouring of the deck — could begin. The second phase took nearly four months to complete. The deck pour was done in nine installments Scott Bridge photo “We have a very good working relationship with Scott The new bridge construction began in late 2015 and, save for a few days of rain and other weather-related Bridge and are keeping communications lines open. So, delays, the construction has been non-stop, including when something does come up, we are able to resolve it pretty quickly,” Wade said. several night shifts.

Scott Bridge photo

A beam is lifted into place on the new Bolling Bridge.

The help of the USACE was essential to the project as it provided a staging area upriver from the work site where materials and equipment could be stored and serve as a laydown yard. “The work site was a constrained area and they couldn’t stockpile a whole lot of materials and had to barge it down to the site,” said Wade. The demolition started Aug. 14, 2018, with barges placed below the bridge to prevent debris from falling into the water. During the demolition, Scott Bridge is required to keep one channel open to boat traffic at all times. Subcontractors and Materials At peak, there were more than 60 Scott Bridge and subcontractor workers on site. The subcontractors are: AAA Signs & Safety; Bartow Paving Company Inc.; BC Landscaping Inc.; Blount-Sanford Contracting Company Inc.; Clarke Company Inc.; Clean Water Consultants Inc.; Curtin Trucking & Drainage Inc.; Cymco 7 Inc.; Elijah L. Jones Construction Inc.; Martin Pinero CPM, LLC; Parker Traffic Markings Inc.; Reynolds Fence & Guardrail Inc.; Rider Grinding Services; Russo Corporation; Southeast Grinding and Grooving LLC; Strickland & Sons Pipeline Inc.; Thompson Carriers Inc.; Tony Cook Trucking LTD; and Tricor Construction Inc. To build the new bridge and road, the general contractor used tons of steel, concrete and asphalt. The removed materials will be sent to recycling centers. A Learning … and Teaching … Experience Wade makes it a point to learn from all projects to improve construction delivery times, speed up the process, and find better ways to emphasize safety. For the most part, he was the sole GDOT employee on site, but was occasionally assisted by GDOT co-workers and consultants for the concrete pours. He did have the opportunity to help mentor a recent civil engineering graduate. “It worked out well and was very successful,” he said. “The lessons learned on smaller projects help when working on larger ones. It gives you an opportunity to focus on the smaller details and processes. This was my first type of bridge using steel beams underneath. Formerly our conventional bridges used concrete beams.”

(This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)

Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 26, 2018 • Page 7

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Page 8 • September 26, 2018 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide