Overview
The Protective Coatings of Belt Parkway Bridges Project involved work at five locations, using abrasive blasting to remove existing lead-based paint systems and recoating with a conventional epoxy zinc primer/epoxy sealer/epoxy/urethane system. LiRo-Hill provided resident engineering and inspection services on each bridge at the five different locations.
About the Project
These structures required a total coating replacement for all structural steel elements and in certain locations, the stay-in-place forms. All structural steel was blast cleaned in accordance with SSPC-SP10 within a Class 1A containment system and coated with a high-performance coating system.
The guide rails and/ or curbs along the bridge were cleaned in accordance with SSPC-SP15 and coated with a Spot Epoxy Zinc Primer/ Epoxy Penetrating Sealer/ Urethane finish (full coat). The specific bridges worked on under this project were:
- East 12th Street over the Belt Parkway
- Cropsey Avenue Bridge over Coney Island Creek Northbound
- Cropsey Avenue Bridge over Coney Island Creek Southbound
- Knapp Street over the Belt Parkway
- Pennsylvania Avenue over the Belt Parkway
In addition to the surface preparation and coating operations, LiRo-Hill provided inspection services for the steel repairs on the East 12th Street Bridge. Additionally, at the request of the NYCDOT, LiRo-Hill provided design and estimating services for the installation of lightweight concrete in the machine room pits at the Cropsey Avenue Bridges.
Project Challenges & Solutions
The majority of these structures are in high-traffic areas with heavy residential, commercial, and pedestrian traffic and require diligent oversight of all operations. Additionally, flag repairs were identified on the project, which required additional structural expertise for oversight and contract negotiations. In an effort to minimize future maintenance costs at the Cropsey Avenue Bridge, the City requested design and cost estimates to fill the machine room pits with lightweight concrete, as the structures were no longer being utilized as moveable bridges.
In order to successfully complete the work, the LiRo-Hill team embraced the partnering concept. The team consisted of well-experienced, hands-on personnel who were not only capable of inspecting the contractor’s operations but also had the requisite design and estimating expertise to respond to the owners’ needs during the contract. Additionally, the LiRo-Hill team was also cognizant of the surroundings in order to minimize the impact to the traveling public and the property owners.
