Wildwood Bridge (SR 4070) Rehabilitation

LDG provided construction inspection services for the $8 million rehabilitation of the Wildwood Road Bridge, a 435-foot, 5-span structure over Willow Run Creek and CSX Railroad in Gibsonia, Butler County, PA. The project was initially intended to include a new deck and concrete repairs – but upon further review, it became evident that the bridge’s condition required expanding the project scope to include removing and replacing the original concrete box beams with steel beams.

Various construction methods were employed to maintain the original project schedule and budget despite this expanded scope. For example, rather than the conventional method of using air hammers to remove the concrete and preserve the existing reinforcing bars, the decision was made to saw cut pier caps 2, 3, and 4, allowing them to be removed in large sections. The original reinforcements were cut, and dowel bars were drilled into the remaining portion of the pier stems to maintain structural integrity. To save time over picking each beam and eliminating the need for additional crane setup, the contractor hoe rammed and dropped the existing beams in place at spans 1 and 5.