The concrete bid was $76.8 million. And it wasnt just the cars that suffered. The best, most concise description of the Zilwaukee Bridge can be found This only after This important artery allows traffic to move through the area without entering downtown Saginaw. 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. 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. According to MDOT records, other proposals included barring river traffic, relocating the freeway and digging a tunnel under the river. Detroit Free Press noted "Containing and removing the toxic of high-strength reinforced concrete segments held together by thousands TIL of Zilwaukee, a town in northern Michigan. A Saginaw News article reported in 1954 that some German immigrants who would come through New York City would sign agreements to work in Zilwaukee, thinking they were heading to Milwaukee. in a specially built facility and then transported to the construction The repair work added $500,000 to the $3.8 million project and postponed the bearing replacement project to 2012. The Zilwaukee Bridge has a mile-long box underneath the entire span so maintenance workers can keep an eye on how its holding up. In November 1978, bids were taken for either a steel or concrete bridge, according to MDOT records. the bridge. Repair work began in the early summer of 1983 and totaled around $6.8 million. Already way over budget and long behind schedule, Chynoweth said fixing the mess took an engineering effort on a scale with designing a whole new bridge. But in 1982, with the bridge about half-built, a major construction accident halted work. There have been some issues with ongoing maintenance projects through the years. to build than steel bridges and less expensive to maintain because of corrosion Unfortunately, shipping increased fourfold in the early 1960s; and each time the drawbridge opened, cars would back up for miles. In 1960, the new route opened -- and the Zilwaukee Bridge was born. Prior to that, all through traffic in the Saginaw area was funnelled 10. Though some have speculated that the bridge was glued together, theyre not entirely far off. other ideas had been batted around, including a tunnel under the river built in western Europe and have been found to be generally more economical The bridge is named after the small city in Saginaw County, Zilwaukee, obviously. Less than fifteen years after the original bascule bridge was opened, can be pulled from either end. It took several hours for tugs to move the ship back into Saginaw Bay. We are working to learn more information. If youd like to read more in depth about the history of the Zilwaukee Bridge, check out this A-to-Z guide from Michigan Highways. Construction efforts hit a major setback in August 1982, when, among other, less-significant causes, mispositioned weight crushed a temporary block placed in an expansion joint. Construction begins by placing two segments directly atop a bridge pier, 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.. 195 lessons. 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. The Mackinac Bridge opened in 1957. Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning. 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. site. However, construction of the new segmental concrete bridge ran into trouble in 1982 when an expansion joint was overloaded, crushing the temporary expansion block. part of the I-75/US-10/US-23 freeway. The history of the Zilwaukee Bridge is one of adaptation over time, as the little town of Zilwaukee started to grow. Technology for ost-tensioned, segmental, box girder bridges was developed 13. This technology has gained rapid acceptance and has spread to other countries. The incident added many years to the projected completion of the new bridge. Zilwaukee Bridge. They ride electric cars inside to inspect and do repairs. The draw bridge was opening and we would hope it wasnt opening when we were there, Fleisher said. Still looking for information "and Bay City officials want to buy it, dismantle it and move it 7 1/2 miles north to replace bridge in city that collapsed in the 1950s. 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. The river serves as the boundary between Zilwaukee Township and the city of Zilwaukee at this point, which is approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) north of downtown Saginaw. These bearings do require extensive maintenance and replacement, as they see more wear and tear than typical construction elements might. Department of Transportation issued a report detailing the background At its peak, the bridge is 125 feet above water level. The report found that undocumented field changes occurred during construction.". The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Flint Journal file photoTravelers go on the Zilwaukee Bridge during lunchtime in 1999. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. Sometimes the bridge would open without much warning, causing cars to crash while trying to slow down. Construction of the bridge would resume. News never stops. Construction began in 1979 with an expected completion date three years later, but the bridge was not available for traffic for nine years. Ground view shows massive dimensions A 69 News crew is at the scene of this developing story. Only one side of the bridge is open at a time, and traffic is shifted on Tuesday and Saturday, based on peak times. According to a 1979 article in the Owosso Argus-Press, the City of Bay City considered purchasing the original Zilwaukee Bridge, paying to have it transported downstream on the Saginaw River, and erected to replace the Cass Bridge, which collapsed in the 1950s. Another important step is taken to protect steel cables from corrosion. Construction on the new Zilwaukee Bridge began in 1979. The bridge carries the I-75 / US 23 road. The construction of the structure was plagued with difficulties: when it was approximately half-complete, a major construction accident halted all work in August 1982. are 73.5 feet wide and either eight feet or 12 feet long. needed to complete the bridge. My concern at this time is to make certain this type of construction accident does not occur again, Kahn wrote in a Wednesday letter to MDOT Director Kirk T. Steudle. The shifting of the deck destroyed the bearing, damaged the pillar and foundations, broke apart concrete slabs of the deck, and misaligned other joints in the structure. an outmoded, inadequate drawbridge that caused backups on the freeway every time it opened for river traffic. However, the most significant reason was the overloading of the expansion joint. The tractor simply delivers the segment of the new bridge as segments are erected one against another and are post-tensioned Originally anticipated to last a few weeks, the project instead stretched more than six months when construction workers from Midwest Bridge Company of Williamston drilled into one of the bridge's steel tensioning rods. Sunshine Skyway Bridge at Tampa, Fla., opened in 1987. The segmental bridge is built from individual concrete pieces, or segments, 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. A 1,700-ton launching girder atop the bridge is equipped with a crane that takes the segment and puts it into place. The bridge has twin decks built of a series We had to wait in line. The deck itself was able to be aligned back into place and the pier underneath was then heavily reinforced. The original Zilwaukee Bridge as a four-lane draw bridge. of concrete was installed on the bridge and the northbound lanes of the I-75/US-23 freeway 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. 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. We have some major businesses here in town that must have that expressway open.. Traffic began using the Zilwaukee Bridge again on October 1, 2008. a new contractor. By 1982, the 52 piers that would support the bridge were finished, and expansion joints were being added. The concrete segments were built nearby, at a facility constructed for the project. The segments were cast of specially designed concrete which is one-third The setback took two years and $6 million more unbudgeted dollars. When the bridge opened for river traffic, it sometimes caused miles-long traffic jams, especially during heavy travel days around the holidays and the start of firearms deer hunting season. Support MLive.com. The bridge was built segment by segment, working from one end of the river toward the other side. In the early-1950s, the Michigan State Highway Department constructed a Traffic is being rerouted along as follows: Wednesdays - Saturdays Adam has taught history, government, and economics to students in grades 6-12 for five years. and one set outside were specially tailored to cast the 1,592 segments In 1960, the new route opened -- and the Zilwaukee Bridge was born. They weigh between The Saginaw News reported on the price tag to keep the Zilwaukee Bridge free of snow and ice.The don't use cheap salt which would result in corrosion of. About 15 years after it opened, plans to replace it with a high-level bridge would start gaining steam, according to Michigan Highways. Add onto that the fact that the drawbridge span was pretty narrow, resulting in several ships running into the bridge and getting stuck, and it became pretty obvious that a new bridge was needed. The project ran from April 2013 through 2015. Precast segments, such as those at the Zilwaukee Bridge, are fabricated A truck hauled the segments up one by one on a double-side trailer that allowed the truck to circle around after dropping the load and hitch back up on the other side. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer. But work didnt resume after the accident until 1984, with a new contractor. to meet back up with US-23 (present-day M-13) Each is formed by 12 strands of steel cable, and each strand is formed by seven wires about one-eighth inch in diameter. They are held together with 20,000 miles of steel cable. The new bearings should last anywhere from 25 to 50 years, or possibly even longer, he said. course, for many Michiganders, the Zilwaukee Bridge evokes a response harkening removed so that river traffic would not be impeded. The ships captain suffered minor injuries. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. High pressure injection 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. Along with asking for new procedures so that mistakes are not made due to outdated blueprints, the letter asked the agency to notify the senators office when the procedures are finalized.. However, the bridge caused long traffic jams whenever it opened, so local officials commissioned an alternative. Why is the Zilwaukee Bridge so tall? [5] During 2014, special custom-made jacks were put into place as a stop-gap measure while bearings were replaced.[6]. It is also exceptionally tall to allow shipping to pass beneath the bridge. Zilwaukee Bridge is ahigh level bridge carrying I-75 [and US-23] over designed machines made for that particular project. are installed. In the 1980's, Toebe completed a number of large . Top top it off, shipping traffic actually quadrupled in the years after In 1979, with its Joint Venture partner Stevin Construction, Toebe won the contract to construct the Zilwaukee Bridge near Saginaw, Michigan. Why did it happen? During a bearing replacement project, a contractor inadvertently cut through reinforced steel on the bridge, the agency has reported. The towns population, as of 2010, was about 1,600. MDOT said crews erected a steel reinforcement on the exterior of the bridge to ensure that the structural integrity of the bridge continues to remain sound. With the implementation of Interstate Highway System, developed by the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration, the two-lane highway was incorporated into the new highway which ran from Detroit to the Mackinac Bridge. construction accident halted all work in August 1982. Michigan Highways > In Depth: The Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning. The town's founders called it Zilwaukee to confuse it with the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in hopes of luring settlers there to work. Groves and Sons Company was the low bidder on a contract to complete the remaining bridge, and they engaged T.Y. Department of Transportation in response to public concerns about as the construction proceeds. Copyright 2022 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. . Michigan Highways > In Depth: The Zilwaukee Bridge, Page Contents: History The Replacement & Accident Ongoing Maintenance Zilwaukee Heres an aerial map that shows the location of the draw bridge vs. the new bridge: Construction on the new structure, projected to cost about $77 million without ramps and approaches, started in late 1979. Create an account to start this course today. The compound gets rid of the ice without any worry of corrosion to the bridge. New bearings of "high-density plastic material" will give the bridge a much longer life: The bridge project, along with other nearby bridge and highway projects, are expected to cost $70 million. Each one was closely inspected by a specially The largest segments one of the most spectacular bridges in the world. 2/24/2018 Aleana W. It's a iconic MI bridge. .004 inches (about the thickness of a human hair). which are hollow and usually rectangular in shape. If not replaced, the normal shifting movements of the bridge would cause additional damage, thus reducing its lifespan. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. Originally, the bridge seemed like a big improvement, but it ran into problems rather quickly. 21.6M vehicles cross each year. Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. of the ramp, now scheduled to open this year. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. The $3.3 million project was further hindered when crews determined that more than 30 new bearings were not designed properly. It also lubricates the segment faces Investigators said there were five reasons for the failure. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. found at the following link. auto transporter trucks weighing 40 tons each. [Image: The bridge takes shape. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. As the interstate highway system brought increased traffic to the area, a drawbridge was built in 1960. 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. When two adjacent be found in Section After the cleanup and investigations and hiring of new contractors, work didn't resume until late 1984. The bridge carries the I-75 / US 23 road. $77 million (not counting approaches and ramp work). The weight of the launching girder, combined with the truck carrying a Sometimes, the back-ups exceeded 30 miles and several hours in length. Repairs totaled $6.8 million. Cables in the bridge run through galvanized steel ducts that have been after it is opened to traffic. Around the time of opening, the Zilwaukee Bridge saw roughly 11.3 million vehicles cross per year, according to MDOT. After eight years of construction, the northbound lanes of the Zilwaukee Bridge were opened Dec. 23, 1987. The original bid for the project was $76.8 million. called tendons, to form a solid unit. It was a lime-stone hauler from Buffalo. Read about the Zilwaukee Bridge collapse in 1982 and its reconstruction. It has 1592 concrete segments that weigh about 160 tons. It stands on its own steel legs That way, neither vehicle nor shipping traffic would be impeded by the other. bascule bridge was permanently closed on that datebut only to automobile the bridge, causing damage and additional tie-ups on the freeway as well. In 2008, a $3.3 million construction project to replace bridge bearings hit a snag. stronger than that usually specified by MDOT for bridge decks. He's been with WDIV since 2013. inch in diameter. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. consisted of the new four-lane, double-leaf bascule (draw) bridge and a trained, four-person team to ensure that they met predetermined standards in the completed 1.5-mile-long bridge. The In fact, in 1979, the traffic jam was a whopping 56 miles long. SAGINAW, Mich. - Friday marks 35 years since the Michigan Department of Transportation opened the Zilwaukee Bridge. long flatbed truck and trailer. on the job weigh 160 tons, so the loaded unit can weigh up to 262 tons, Authorities chose the lower-cost option. computer-aided design drawings for projects built since the mid-1990s. The segments are joined A midnight crew scrambled to safety as an overloaded thousand-foot-long bridge section shook, buckled and sagged. Traffic is being rerouted along as follows: Here's a map of the detours and the other I-75 construction projects nearby: MDOT says work on the bridge includes "replacing bearings, bridge deck overlay and barrier repairs, and electrical work.". 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. And thanks to Chris Bessert for compiling all of this great historical information. This process is repeated until the entire span is closed. Saturday, August 20th 2022 Crashes impacting NB and SB 75 on the Zilwaukee Bridge. cannot effectively be injected or sealed. Each is formed by 12 strands On August 28, 1982, temporary compression blocks began to crush while a concrete segment was being transported, causing a 300-foot-long section of the bridge deck to sag five feet on one end, and rise three-and-a-half feet on the other end. 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. River at the border of Washington and Oregon, opened in 1982, and the new Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. This story is a bit of legend, but its mostly accepted by local historians. The original The cause, according to Michigan Highways, was construction loads at that location were too heavy. Officials confirmed Tulpehocken Forge Road is closed and they're asking people to avoid the area. I feel like its a lifeline. pieces will fit perfectly when they are placed together on the bridge. I am requesting a rigorous examination of the lane traffic and am seeking alternative plans that might help keep two-way traffic open during the construction process.. On Tuesday, September 22, 1987 the final 117-ton piece Lin International (TYLI) to perform construction engineering services. The bid for the steel bridge totaled $86.2 million. Share YOUR roads!We'vemorethan 13.000 roads but we want more! There were discussions about abandoning the project completely. posted to the USENET newsgroup alt.great-lakes the The solution was ingenious: pipes filled with refrigerant were inserted into the bedrock and then frozen to create a firm foundation for the bridge. Crews removed some of the concrete material making up the bridge itself and removed the original bearings, then installed the new ones along with an inch of concrete grout. through downtown as the through route. girder. Posted July 9, 2019, by Melissa Brand-Welch, National Bridge Inventory 2021: (Nearby Bridges), Bridgehunter.com: Historic Bridges of the United States, http://bridgehunter.com/mi/saginaw/saginaw-river/, July 9, 2019: New photo from Melissa Brand-Welch, November 13, 2018: New photo from Douglas Butler, October 6, 2018: New photos from Douglas Butler, August 6, 2014: New Street View added by Douglas Butler. Its purpose, though, was largely as a seal to keep out water and roadway contaminants. Read: The Z-Bridge: The turbulent history behind Michigans Zilwaukee Bridge. MDOT closed the northbound lanes months longer than planned as a precaution and installed a steel brace on the outside of the massive concrete span that carries Interstate 75 traffic over the Saginaw River. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a massive segmental concrete bridge that carries the I-75 over the Saginaw River in Michigan. The dramatic failure of the Zilwaukee Bridge was successfully repaired by the State of Michigan in 1983. completed. It was opened in 1988 and is 8,000 feet (2440 m) long and 125 feet (38 m) at its highest point. During construction, the expansion joints were held in place by compression blocks that prevented them from moving until the box-girder deck was completed. The bearing replacement project consisted of construction crews lifting the bridge structure about an inch using jacks "the size of large wine barrels," according to MDOT. The total launching girder apparatus weighs (Please remember while reading the report, directly on the bridge superstructure. 23 Location Zilwaukee, Saginaw County, Michigan Status Open to traffic History Built 1987 Design Concrete stringer Dimensions (1.5 mi.) Many of the original stainless steel and teflon bearings have been replaced with a plastic material. The text here is reproduced word-for-word from the original report and The bridge was only 150 feet wide and several ships actually hit habitat. This high-level, segmental concrete bridge spanning the Saginaw River is said to be the perfect example on how not to build a bridge. [3] The Zilwaukee Bridge is approximately 8,000 feet (2,400m) in length and rises 125 feet (38m) at its highest point.[1][2]. Annotated Aerial Image, I-75 and Zilwaukee Bridge Improvements: Construction and Motorist Information, Photography The Michigan Department of Transportation says it will close two lanes of traffic on the I-75 Zilwaukee Bridge tomorrow and Thursday. Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning, Michigan Now, an average of 21.6 million vehicles cross the bridge per year. Investigators found that much of the bridge was sound, but some of the pier columns needed to be reinforced before work could continue. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 7/1/2022). Or are you better off taking a different route? Each segment is manufactured with 10,000 pounds of reinforcing steel inside. ), The Unfortunately, something happened that would change that plan. ZILWAUKEE State Sen. Roger N. Kahn has urged the Michigan Department of Transportation to enact new, clear procedures to avoid the use of outdated blueprints that could lead to construction mishaps across the state. act as a continuous bridge. Many have been The current bridge is not the first Zilwaukee River crossing. On Saturday, the bridge has three southbound lanes, while northbound traffic. For the first three years, everything went according to plan, and all of the piers were constructed on schedule. A pier footing cracked, presumably due to resulting stress. The expectation was that adding this additional crossing would give vehicles more options and more direct routes, breaking up the traffic along the growing interstate. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. were routed over the bridge for the first time on Wednesday, December 23, The Zilwaukee Bridge is a high-level bridge carrying I-75 (and U.S. 23) over the Saginaw River at Zilwaukee. Most roads are bridges are simple structures, he said. The original completion date for the Zilwaukee Bridge was November 1983. The . The Zilwaukee Bridge is a high-level, segmental concrete bridge spanning the Saginaw River in the U.S. state of Michigan.The river serves as the boundary between Zilwaukee Township and the city of Zilwaukee at this point, which is approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) north of downtown Saginaw.. feet in length to the huge I-205 Freeway Bridge, spanning the Columbia http://www.michiganhighways.org/listings/US-010.html. A track-mounted crane atop the launching The accident delayed construction for over 2 years.Pic: http://media.mlive.com/saginawnews_impact/photo/zilwaukee-bridge-bbec235072ccfec4.jpg. While the remaining ramp connections were 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. Chynoweth noted the new bearings would double the Zilwaukee Bridge's lifespan to a now-predicted 100 years, or through 2087. The bridge operator continued to staff the bridge until it was the decision came to replace it with a high-level bridge. The worst back-ups, of course, occurred during When The current eight-lane structure, completed in 1988, is the second such bridge at this location, replacing . http://media.mlive.com/saginawnews_impact/photo/zilwaukee-bridge-bbec235072ccfec4.jpg. MDOT Bay City Transportation Service Center Manager Gregg Brunner said Construction crews began work on a major renovation project on the Zilwaukee Bridge this week. Published: Jan. 16, 2023 at 8:39 AM PST. The ship failed to respond after turning the bend near the bridge. freeway beginning at the northern end of the 1953 bypass (at present-day M-13), 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. the bridge opened, it also caused problems for traffic on the Saginaw River of the unfinished ramps crossed a buried landfill contaminated with PCBs. It helps prevent water and roadway contaminants Use our interactive map to explore the roads or just discover them by browsing the site. each cable is about the size of a man's wrist. A Saginaw News article from 1967 details another freighters crash into the bridge, causing traffic to be re-routed for a few days. of firmly tensioned steel cables. 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