BNSF Bridge 203.6 replacement near Media, Illinois

Project Summary

Hanson provided engineering services for the replacement of BNSF Bridge 203.6 with a double-track, steel deck plate girder tower bridge over Ellison Creek in Henderson County, Illinois. The scope of services encompassed bridge and track survey, environmental permitting, hydraulic analysis, geotechnical exploration, foundation analysis and accelerated bridge construction, as well as bridge design and plan preparation. Hanson also served as the full-time, on-site construction manager with responsibility for review of all submittals.

The bridge solution was developed to maintain track operation and reduce the risk of damage to existing foundations during construction. The new bridge is 865 feet long and approximately 60 feet above existing grade. The main span comprises 192-foot steel deck plate girders, while approach spans use 96-foot steel deck plate girders.

The main-span piers are supported on 10-foot-diameter drilled shafts, the approach piers use 7-foot-diameter shafts and the abutments use driven piles. The pier shafts are connected with 10-foot-by-8-foot and 11-foot-by-11-foot cast-in-place concrete transfer beams with supplemental post-tensioning bars. The bridge change-out was completed in multiple train-free windows involving crane picks for the interior spans and roll in of the abutment spans.