ROUTE 7 WITTPENN VERTICAL LIFT BRIDGE
REPLACEMENT
Kearny and Jersey City, Hudson County, NJ
As the prime consultant, AmerCom Corporation is providing Construction Management and Inspection Services for the New Jersey Department of Transportation on the entire Wittpenn Bridge Replacement Project. The original bridge was built in 1930, carrying nearly 50,000 vehicles per day through four heavily congested lanes of NJ Route 7 over the Hackensack River in Hudson County, NJ. The project consists of the replacement of the nearly 2,200 foot long bridge including a 209 foot long vertical lift main span along an adjacent alignment to the north with new roadways consisting of realigned ramps and approaches. Total project length is approximately 1.5 miles. Coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard is critical due to marine traffic since it takes the existing span about 15 minutes to be raised. The new bridge will improve the vertical clearance from 35 feet to 70 feet above mean high water in the closed position allowing boats to pass through without bridge openings. When raised, the existing bridge provides 100 feet of vertical clearance for ships and will be improved with the new lift spans span. Included in the project was the construction of 73 – 8’ Diameter Drilled shafts with rock sockets extending over 30’ long.
Critical to construction of the shafts was verifying rebar was placed according to plan and lifting schemes for the rebar were properly designed and implemented according to approved layouts. The shafts had to be constructed to the correct vertical alignment. The contractor utilized temporary piles with grillage in order to align the shafts both vertically and horizontally. AmerCom inspectors monitored each step in this process.Monitoring of spoils and policing debris spillage was a top priority during construction of the shafts.Coordination with Navigable Water Stakeholders was crucial for successful completion of the project. AmerCom also coordinated the testing of the drilled shafts which included CSL tests (Controlled Sonic Logging) along with O-Cell Tests.
Services AmerCom is providing include:
• Timely reviews of all contractor submittals including shop drawings,
• On-site inspection of contractor’s construction means and methods.
• Accurate, complete and concise field inspection records and measurements.
• Clear, concise, immediate and documented communication of all construction issues and concerns.
• Integrity testing of drilled shafts using Controlled Sonic Logging and O-Cells.
• Inspection of shaft rebar cages
• Vibration monitoring of the existing structure
• Thorough and timely reviews of payment requests.
• Review and approval of all project scheduling
• Inspection of fabrication of components including welding and assembly of steel trusses
Construction Cost $660 Million
Relevant Experience
• 73 – 8’ diam. Drilled Shafts
• Shaft Construction in Active NJ Navigable Waterway
• Rock Sockets for Shafts
• Shaft Integrity Inspections
• Cofferdams
• Steel Piles
• Mass Concrete Pours over Waterways/Thermal Cooling
• Coordination with Navigable Water Auth. –Coast Guard, NJDOT
• Hazardous Waste Handling
• Policing of Spillage and Debris through Navigable Waterway
• Fender Systems
• Reinforced Concrete Pier Cap Construction over Navigable Waterway
• Concrete Abutments
• Reinforcement Steel
• Vertical Steel Lift Bridge
• Lift Bridge Welding Inspections
• Wire Rope Inspections
• Steel Truss
• Preconsolidation Programs
• Light Weight Fill
• Utility Construction
• Pipe Jacking Under Railroad
• Vertical Lift Bridge Demo
