Team advances the eastbound bridge into its next phase after placing the final project girders over the Gila River.
Pulice – a FlatironDragados company has reached a major milestone on our Arizona Department of Transportation project, replacing two aging bridges on I-10 over the Gila River in Pinal County near Phoenix.
Our crews placed 39 girders in the project’s third phase, completing the final girder placements on the eastbound bridge. In total, the Gila River team placed an impressive 91 girders on the structure.
The girder placement operation took one week.
Eastbound bridge girder placement details
The girders form the main horizontal support system for the future bridge deck.
Key facts about them:
- Girder type: Precast UBT 50 girders
- Average girder length: About 104 feet
- Placement method: Crane-set girder placement, supported by staged trucking, permitted hauling and field crews securing each girder after placement
- Girder supplier/setting subcontractor: TPAC
- Crane subcontractor: Bragg Company, working as a subcontractor to TPAC
How crews safely lift and place girders along I-10
The placement operation required tight coordination among Pulice crews, TPAC, crane operators, truckers and field supervision. The work also required careful planning around live traffic.
The team staged the girders before sunrise, then began setting them once daylight gave crews the safest operating conditions. Communication needed to stay clear and concise. Project management coordinated with crane operators and TPAC while crews stayed clear of suspended girders.
“Discipline matters on a bridge operation of this scale,” said Field Engineer Paul Casas. “The project team must maintain the schedule, keep structural work ready for each girder delivery and manage the logistics of moving large precast girders into place without delaying this key operation.”
How does the Gila River Bridge Replacement project improve the busy I-10 corridor?
The I-10 Bridges over the Gila River project replaces aging two-lane bridges with new three-lane bridges with full-width shoulders. Crews are also reconstructing the existing two-lane roadway approaches as three-lane approaches separated by a concrete median barrier.
Motorists will benefit from deeper bridge foundations and a higher bridge designed to provide a more resilient river crossing. Those improvements will strengthen this busy section of I-10 and better serve long-term mobility on the route from Phoenix to Tucson.
What happens after girder placement?
With the final eastbound bridge girders in place, Pulice can advance the bridge’s remaining superstructure work.
Pulice looks forward to finishing this vital bridge replacement later this year.