Overview
Phase 2 of the Kosciuszko Bridge over Newtown Creek included a 1.1-mile new viaduct in Kings and Queens Counties as well as a 1,000 ft long, cable-stayed main span to carry the Brooklyn Queens Expressway I-278 (BQE) Westbound over Newton Creek, including a bikeway. LiRo-Hill provided construction field and office management, quality assurance, verification testing, and inspection services.
About the Project
Construction began when the contractor broke ground for the foundations of the main span pylons located in Queens County, with work progressing steadily with the main span pylons as well as pile driving and foundation work on the approaches and T-Wall installation for the connectors.
The project included a variety of elements, including:
- Main span, with a total span length of 1001 linear ft and a 95 ft wide roadway; a total of 276 precast concrete deck panels, some of which were post-tensioned, used for the main span and back span bridge deck.
- Brooklyn and Queens approaches, requiring 17 piers to be constructed to provide for 2,000 linear ft of new roadway.
- Connectors, with retaining walls installed to support the roadway and two connector bridges over local streets.
- Foundations, consisting of four seven ft diameter steel cased drilled shafts with rock sockets, with lengths varying from 160 to 180 ft below grade.
- Utilities, including installation of varying size reinforced concrete pipe for drainage and new drainage structures.
Project Challenges & Solutions
This project presented a variety of challenges, first and foremost an aggressive schedule that required around-the-clock work. By staggering work weeks to cover a total of 14 shifts per week, this schedule was met. Additionally, weekly progress meetings and daily field meetings and conference calls were scheduled to make sure everyone was on the same page and in order to get real-time information to field staff. Coordination with client and designers was increased, with designers on site at least twice a week for meetings, to make sure timely responses and reviews were provided for changes and questions.
