June 14, 20232 yr 1 hour ago, Procus said: Initially, there were rumblings that there may be a temporary solution to re-connect 95 pending a complete repair. Haven't heard anything about that of late though. Since this happened in Philly, the thing going against a fast repair is that so much money will be thrown at this problem, that every special interest group will try to grab their slice of the pie. Can't do that once it's fixed. A lot of vested interests in delaying this re-opening as long as possible. The saving grace is that people will be more acutely aware of grifting and corruption. This isn't some abstract 3-year project where they close most of the lanes at night and allow for rush hour traffic.
June 14, 20232 yr On 6/12/2023 at 12:37 PM, iladelphxx said: Building trades are saying 4-6 weeks assuming they get full government cooperation I’m not sure where this text is from but I do have some questions on the accuracy of the info provided. The company is called TK Transport, not Penn Tank Trailers. I’ve never heard a contractor refer to highway paving work as "blacktop”. It’s possible some could, just not something I’ve heard it referred as. There’s really no dirt to provide, it’s a bridge replacement. The timeframe is all based on fabrication of the beams for the new bridge. So unless they’ve been in touch with a supplier that’s said they could have the new beams out in a few weeks, the estimated time frame is a big guess there. Abonizio is doing the demo work, so that’s accurate.
June 14, 20232 yr 9 hours ago, Procus said: Initially, there were rumblings that there may be a temporary solution to re-connect 95 pending a complete repair. Haven't heard anything about that of late though. Since this happened in Philly, the thing going against a fast repair is that so much money will be thrown at this problem, that every special interest group will try to grab their slice of the pie. Can't do that once it's fixed. A lot of vested interests in delaying this re-opening as long as possible. Unfortunately there’s no temporary solution. Just going to have to replace the bridge. The real kick in the nuts is going to be if it turns out that the structural integrity of the abutments was impacted, then they’ll have to tear them down and replace them as well. Hopefully the abutments are fine and can remain.
June 14, 20232 yr if this does somehow get fixed in 4-6 weeks, it's really going to make the never ending 95/cottman ave construction look even worse than it already does. if that's possible.
June 14, 20232 yr 9 minutes ago, Alpha_TATEr said: if this does somehow get fixed in 4-6 weeks, it's really going to make the never ending 95/cottman ave construction look even worse than it already does. if that's possible. Not sure I agree with this. A significant premium is going to be paid in order to get the construction done as fast as possible. That’s really not necessary for a typical construction job. So why pay that type of premium for a typical construction job which would then take funding away from other projects? This situation is obviously different. It’s vital that the bridge gets replaced as quickly as possible so that I-95 can reopen. So in this case, it’s absolutely worth it to pay a significant premium to get it done asap.
June 14, 20232 yr 5 minutes ago, Phillyterp85 said: Not sure I agree with this. A significant premium is going to be paid in order to get the construction done as fast as possible. That’s really not necessary for a typical construction job. So why pay that type of premium for a typical construction job which would then take funding away from other projects? This situation is obviously different. It’s vital that the bridge gets replaced as quickly as possible so that I-95 can reopen. So in this case, it’s absolutely worth it to pay a significant premium to get it done asap. i have no issue with extra funds and resources being put forth for this. it's a catastrophic event. my point is, the cottman ave construction has been going on for years. its ridiculous.
June 14, 20232 yr In most situations it's a "fast, well, or cheap; pick ahy two" question. Road work in Philly is often slow and expensive, because they gotta stretch those union jobs out as long as possible. And don't do too good a job either, otherwise you might not have to come back and fix it for more money in a couple years.
June 14, 20232 yr 2 hours ago, Phillyterp85 said: Unfortunately there’s no temporary solution. Just going to have to replace the bridge. I don't claim to be an expert on this, but there were statements to that effect initially. And if you google Temporary Bridge, alot comes up, for instance, this
June 14, 20232 yr 2 minutes ago, Procus said: I don't claim to be an expert on this, but there were statements to that effect initially. And if you google Temporary Bridge, alot comes up, for instance, this That seems like a disaster on a major highway with cars going 80+ mph
June 14, 20232 yr 25 minutes ago, Procus said: I don't claim to be an expert on this, but there were statements to that effect initially. And if you google Temporary Bridge, alot comes up, for instance, this Yes, temporary bridges exist. Not for the size, bearing capacity, and speeds of this bridge though.
June 14, 20232 yr 26 minutes ago, jsdarkstar said: They should take their time and make the road better and safer. There's nothing really atypical about this off-ramp. It was just a tragic, freak luck bad accident.
June 14, 20232 yr 1 hour ago, mikemack8 said: That seems like a disaster on a major highway with cars going 80+ mph Obviously traffic would be considerably slowed down if a temporary structure were erected. I'm generally wary when people say something can't be done. Here's something from 2018 where a temporary bridge was erected on I 10 in AZ. Again, this was alluded to during the initial PC regarding the disaster https://azdot.gov/blog-article/temporary-bridge-permanent-benefits
June 14, 20232 yr Just saw on the news a report of the temporary solution they are looking to go with. Fill in cottman Ave and then pave to re-connect the gap. Then do staged construction to re-build the bridge. Interesting solution. Will get I-95 opened up quicker. But @Alpha_TATEr will not be happy about the longer construction period that this will entail! Lol
June 14, 20232 yr https://6abc.com/i-95-philadelphia-repairs-when-will-95-reopen-collapse-collaped/13380443/ Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro provided more details on Wednesday about the work that will be done to reopen Interstate 95 in Philadelphia. During a news conference, Shapiro said the plan is to fill the gap with backfill and then pave over it to create a temporary roadway and get the highway open again. He said they expect the first loads of backfill to arrive on site Thursday. Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll said the backfill is a "lightweight material, a recycled glass-type product" that is reusable. "It's going to be engineered in a way that will be completely reliable for the travelling public," said Carroll. There will be three lanes open in each direction while the state then works to build a permanent bridge to replace the section that collapsed. As for the remains of the current bridge, Shapiro said demolition is expected to be completed Thursday. Shapiro and other officials said the work will be done as quickly as possible but gave no timeline.
June 14, 20232 yr 3 minutes ago, JohnSnowsHair said: https://6abc.com/i-95-philadelphia-repairs-when-will-95-reopen-collapse-collaped/13380443/ Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro provided more details on Wednesday about the work that will be done to reopen Interstate 95 in Philadelphia. During a news conference, Shapiro said the plan is to fill the gap with backfill and then pave over it to create a temporary roadway and get the highway open again. He said they expect the first loads of backfill to arrive on site Thursday. Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll said the backfill is a "lightweight material, a recycled glass-type product" that is reusable. "It's going to be engineered in a way that will be completely reliable for the travelling public," said Carroll. There will be three lanes open in each direction while the state then works to build a permanent bridge to replace the section that collapsed. As for the remains of the current bridge, Shapiro said demolition is expected to be completed Thursday. Shapiro and other officials said the work will be done as quickly as possible but gave no timeline. Sounds reasonable. Build the bridge somewhere else, and Lego it together when it's complete.
June 14, 20232 yr 19 minutes ago, Procus said: Obviously traffic would be considerably slowed down if a temporary structure were erected. I'm generally wary when people say something can't be done. Here's something from 2018 where a temporary bridge was erected on I 10 in AZ. Again, this was alluded to during the initial PC regarding the disaster https://azdot.gov/blog-article/temporary-bridge-permanent-benefits That temporary bridge is two lanes wide. I-95 in this section is 5 lanes wide on the NB side, 4 lanes wide on the SB side. That makes a huge difference with regards to the loading capacity.
June 14, 20232 yr 19 minutes ago, JohnSnowsHair said: https://6abc.com/i-95-philadelphia-repairs-when-will-95-reopen-collapse-collaped/13380443/ Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro provided more details on Wednesday about the work that will be done to reopen Interstate 95 in Philadelphia. During a news conference, Shapiro said the plan is to fill the gap with backfill and then pave over it to create a temporary roadway and get the highway open again. He said they expect the first loads of backfill to arrive on site Thursday. Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll said the backfill is a "lightweight material, a recycled glass-type product" that is reusable. "It's going to be engineered in a way that will be completely reliable for the travelling public," said Carroll. There will be three lanes open in each direction while the state then works to build a permanent bridge to replace the section that collapsed. As for the remains of the current bridge, Shapiro said demolition is expected to be completed Thursday. Shapiro and other officials said the work will be done as quickly as possible but gave no timeline. Interesting. How do they keep the fill "in place" and solid enough to pave over and support the thousands of pounds of weight that will go over it every day?
June 14, 20232 yr 7 minutes ago, Phillyterp85 said: That temporary bridge is two lanes wide. I-95 in this section is 5 lanes wide on the NB side, 4 lanes wide on the SB side. That makes a huge difference with regards to the loading capacity. No doubt traffic would be considerably backed up - but still, the highway could reopen
June 14, 20232 yr 14 minutes ago, DaEagles4Life said: Sounds reasonable. Build the bridge somewhere else, and Lego it together when it's complete. They're going to do staged construction to re-build the bridge. Not going to be able build it off-site and then bring it in. Have to go in stages. Squeeze traffic to one side, set up temporary shoring, exacavate the backfill that was just placed, install the new bridge for that portion. Then shift traffic onto the newly built portion of the bridge, and then do the same process with the other sections.
June 14, 20232 yr 3 minutes ago, Procus said: No doubt traffic would be considerably backed up - but still, the highway could reopen If you went from 5 lanes down to 2, you'd be talking about way more than just a "backup" in traffic. There's not really even a point in doing that. It would be a nightmare.
June 14, 20232 yr 2 hours ago, jsdarkstar said: They should take their time and make the road better and safer. Lol. Never gonna happen.
June 14, 20232 yr 1 minute ago, mikemack8 said: Interesting. How do they keep the fill "in place" and solid enough to pave over and support the thousands of pounds of weight that will go over it every day? I was wondering about that. It appears to be that by mixing in other materials (glass, etc.) into the backfill it's a method to prevent the erosion of the soil. I'm not a civil engineer (did some ME with my CS, but never CE; those guys weren't "real" engineers lol), but there's different kinds of fill material that can be used to build up depending on the situation. So this isn't unprecedented, and the material appears to be well suited for this. They may also throw in some reinforced median barriers or something at the bottom to help mitigate any spreading (which might reduce the profile of the road), and I would certainly hope they'd be monitoring the fill to ensure it's not creeping. From what I can tell the commuter impact is going to be the loss of the Cottman exit on I-95N.
June 14, 20232 yr 7 minutes ago, Phillyterp85 said: If you went from 5 lanes down to 2, you'd be talking about way more than just a "backup" in traffic. There's not really even a point in doing that. It would be a nightmare. What is it right now? It won't be as bad a nightmare as the current situation.
Create an account or sign in to comment