2000 BRIDGE AWARD WINNER: U.S. ROUTE 20 OVER EIGHTEEN MILE CREEK IN ERIE COUNTY Owner: NYSDOT - Region 5 Engineer: NYSDOT - Region 5 Contractor: Oak Grove Construction The project involved a myriad of complex design and construction issues, making it one of the most challenging bridge rehabilitation projects ever completed in Western New York. The structure is a 126.3 m (414 ft) long four span concrete open spandrel arch bridge, located in Erie County about 20 miles south of Buffalo. It is considered by many as one of the most beautiful and visually interesting bridges in the region. The project involved replacement of the concrete deck and floorbeams, reconstruction of the spandrel arches and the tops of the spandrel columns, and extensive shotcrete repairs throughout the superstructure and substructure. The project included some unique and uncommon construction techniques, in part to necessitated by the difficult site conditions. Among these were a full-span work platform supported by steel beams and attached to the columns, precast concrete fascia panels, and extensive shotcrete repairs. NYSDOT Region 5 was under intense public pressure to limit the closure of the bridge, especially during the winter months as the bridge is located in one of the snowiest regions of the State. Thus, the A+B bid process was used to help ensure that the bridge was open for winter at the end of both construction seasons. The contractor finished on time after the first season and ahead of schedule in the final season. Due to the historic nature of the bridge, additional constraints were placed upon the designers by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). The adverse effect ruling by SHPO led to the cost-effective solution of the precast concrete fascia panels to mimic the look of the original structure and the recessed panels on the back side of the standard concrete barrier. An exceptionally complex aspect of the design was the Level I load rating. To our knowledge, this had never been done before in NYSDOT Region 5 for this type of structure. The end result of the project is a beautiful completely rehabilitated historic structure which will carry full modern highway loads for many years to come. Note: The above project description was taken from the award submission.
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