International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET)
e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 10 Issue: 05 | May 2023
p-ISSN: 2395-0072
www.irjet.net
Case study: Widening an existing bridge structure Challenges and solutions Mohammad Mamon Hamdan Civil/Structural Engineer ------------------------------------------------------------------------***------------------------------------------------------------------------commercial vehicles around the world. The increasing of Abstract - This paper is a study that summarizes, the
vehicles around the world where associated with the construction of new roads and bridges to cope with the increase in traffic volume. It is important to note that the availability of good infrastructure such as roads is important for attracting investments in different sectors because it facilitates the transportation of goods and people. Roads and bridges are a vital part of the infrastructure. This paper will focus on the widening of existing bridges and the following topic will be discussed in this paper:
procedure used to increase the capacity of an existing concrete bridge in the UAE. Traffic congestion is a severe problem in modern life. Severe congestion can negatively impact the country’s economy, environment, and the health of road commuters. The increase in trip duration due to traffic congestion will result in consuming more fuel which results in a higher cost of trip and more emissions which affect both the economy and the environment. Moreover, the road commuter will be traveling for a long time which can affect their sleeping hours and mental health. Constructing more roads, and bridges and encouraging people to use public transport are some of the measures taken to reduce traffic congestion. To evaluate the effectiveness of an existing highway, certain parameters such as traffic quantity, type of vehicles in the traffic stream, speed of traffic stream, and the density of traffic stream will be measured and assessed to determine the need for increasing the road capacity.
This paper studies the process of widening an existing bridge and all the constrain faced during the construction stage and the implemented solutions for each constrain. The constraints faced in this case study are not identical for every project and they can differ for different projects but learned lessons can be useful and applicable sometimes. The widening of the existing bridge was performed by constructing a new bridge with a width of 8.5 m, then part of the existing structure was demolished and the new and old structures connected to form a new bridge with a width of 20.80 m. The existing and new bridges were made from post-tensioned voided concrete slabs, the bridge deck casted at the site then stressing is performed once the concrete attains sufficient strength. Replacing existing bridge bearings, stitching work, adjusting levels in old and new structures, and matching expansion joint gaps were the main challenges encountered during the construction process.
This paper considers the structural part and challenges faced during the process of widening an existing bridge structure. The existing bridge under consideration is composed of two spans with a length of 33.10 m of each span, two abutments with pot bearing connection, a single monolithic pier, asphaltic plug expansion joint at abutments, voided post-tensioned concrete slab with concrete barriers. The decision was taken to widen the existing bridge to relieve the aggravated traffic jam problem. The development of residential areas nearby resulted in increasing the volume of traffic exceeding the existing road capacity. The new development proposal involves the construction of a completely new bridge with 4 lanes and the widening of the existing bridge. The final output is two bridges with 4 lanes in each direction.
1. Introduction Bridges have been used ages ago as a tool to overcome obstacles such as rivers and deep valleys, Romans Engineers used the arch system and stones to build many bridges that still stand up to date such as the Pons Fabricius bridge. The industrial revolution in the last century resulted in increasing the number of personal and
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Condition survey of the existing bridge Challenges faced during the extension of the existing bridge Stitching of existing and new bridges. Protecting bridge deck from harmful chemicals Strengthening of existing piers
2. Condition survey It is important to precisely assess the condition of the existing structure. Assessment is important to determine the feasibility of keeping and widening old structures. It is wise and economical to demolish old severely damaged
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