Completed Improvements

Much of the Remaining Deck Removed from the Upstream Side of the Northbound Bridge

First sections of new concrete deck in place

Most of the old deck has been removed and large sections of the steel super-structure have been cleaned and refurbished as crews work from the center out to re-deck the downstream half of the northbound I-476/Blue Route Bridge over the Schuylkill River.

With two lanes of northbound traffic shifted to the rebuilt side of the bridge, work has been underway (double shifts, seven days a week, weather permitting) since August behind concrete barrier to rehabilitate the remaining half of the busy interstate river crossing. Crews have been demolishing and removing large sections of the old concrete deck and outside parapet (side wall), working from south to north across the structure.

Crews also are removing the existing sound wall panels that are in place atop the parapets at the northern end of the span. The panels will be replaced -- atop new, higher parapets -- at the end of work on the northbound bridge.

Removing the deck exposes the bridge's steel superstructure. Those exposed girders and associated components are then being cleaned and refurbished, adding decades of functional life to bridge.  Steel workers are then placing a gridwork of reinforcing steel on a platform metal deck pans that are welded into place atop the girders. The re-bars add  strength and flexibility to the new concrete deck, which also is fiber-reinforced to reduce cracking.

Once the steel is readied, the new deck is being poured in sections, or slabs, with work proceeding from the center to the outside edges in both directions.

Construction will continue on the downstream side of the northbound bridge through November 2009.

Work to rebuild the southbound bridge will get underway next spring. The second span will be reconstructed using a staging process similar to the one being used on the northbound bridge. That staging includes the use of an express lane traffic pattern that allows PennDOT to maintain three lanes of capacity in each direction during peak travel periods on the heavily used interstate.

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