Home Stretch

MoDOT's Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program has entered the home stretch on its way to replacing or repairing more than 800 of the state's worst bridges. Last night, the 600^th new bridge opened on Route H in DeKalb County. With 58 bridges still under construction, and about 20 more projects yet to start in 2011, by the end of the year just more than 120 bridges will remain to be built in 2012.

So far this year, 226 new bridges have been constructed by MoDOT's design-build contractor, KTU Constructors, and 41 other bridges have been rehabilitated. KTU has reopened 226 new bridges in the last 216 days.

Hybrid Composite Beams

If it works for boats, why not for bridges?


As part of its Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program, MoDOT received a $1 million federal "Highways for Life" grant to utilize hybrid composite beams on three bridge projects -- in Douglas, Shannon and Dade Counties. These innovative structural elements are much lighter than conventional steel or concrete beams, which make them easier to transport and install. The exterior of HCBs is fiberglass, materials also used to construct boats and sulfuric acid storage tanks. The fiberglass makes them more resistant to water and chlorides, and therefore longer lasting.


Check out some photos and the video below that explains this technology. Happy Sailing!







http://www.flickr.com/photos/modot/sets/72157627384391038/

500 Bridges, Safe & Sound!

One year ago, we were celebrating the completion of the 200th bridge constructed under the Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program.

Yesterday, that number climbed to 500.  Before the program is complete by the end of 2012, more than 800 bridges across Missouri will be rehabilitated or replaced.

We're more than halfway there! Better yet, the average closure of bridges across the state has been about 40 days -- that's half the time a typical bridge replacement takes.

Safe & Sound Bridge Program Reaches Halfway Milestone

Fourteen new bridges opened to traffic last week, pushing the number of completed Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program projects past the halfway point.

There are now 410 new or rehabilitated bridges that have been constructed all over the state, and on average, another is opening every two days. When completed, the Safe & Sound program will have repaired or replaced 802 of the state's lowest rated bridges. Just this year alone, 80 new bridges have been built.

The program's original goal was to complete 802 projects in five years, or by the end of 2013. At the current rapid pace, the program should be complete a full year early, or by the close of 2012.

So far, 231 new bridges have been constructed under MoDOT's design-build contract with KTU Constructors, and 179 bridges have been rehabilitated through the department's regular monthly lettings.

The average road closure associated with the Safe & Sound projects has been 40 days, or about half the time it normally takes to replace a bridge.

Currently 77 bridges are under construction, with another 12 scheduled to start next week.

Know Before the Cones

It's the time of year when you're likely to see orange.Though MoDOT's construction budget is down, there are plenty of opportunities for those orange cones to appear in your windshield. Here are a few websites that can help you learn which highways have lane and bridge closures:


www.modot.org/tim - The map you use to check winter road conditions also provides the location for work zones. Use the interactive map link in the upper left corner to zoom in for a closer view.

www.modot.mo.gov/safeandsound - We're in the middle of a five-year program to fix 800 bridges. This summer, hundreds of bridges get a makeover. To complete the projects as quickly as possible, most bridges are completely closed. Go to the Safe & Sound site to learn which bridges are under construction, which are planned to start in the next several months and which will wait. The interactive map makes finding those on your routes easy.

www.modot.org/workzones - Visit this page to tell us how we're doing. Rate our work zones and let us know how we can improve. Do you have a suggestion or did we cause a problem? Let us know.

As always, you can call 1-888-Ask-MoDOT for questions, or visit www.modot.org.

Everyone Loves This Bridge!

Last week, beams were set on a bridge on Route U in Pettis County, near Sedalia. No big deal, really, since this scene has been repeated hundreds of times as MoDOT has completed 314 new bridges since the Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program got rolling in April 2009.

But this one was a little different, since one of the beams was displayed at the State Fair in Sedalia in August. Visitors to MoDOT's Highway Gardens were encouraged to sign the beam to demonstrate their support for new bridges in Missouri. And sign it they did ... by the thousands. One lady who lived nearby the bridge site signed it on the bottom "so that I can see it when I float underneath it next summer."

Now the beam is at its final resting place in a multi-span bridge over Spring Fork Creek. The latest signature added to the structure, as you'll see in the picture, is from one of the construction workers at the site. He and others like him will be plenty busy in 2011, when MoDOT and its design-build contractor KTU Constructors plan to build more than 300 new bridges across the state.

KTU Constructors Completes 100th Bridge

For construction schedules, visit www.modot.org/safeandsound.

KTU Constructors has hit its first big milestone associated with the Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program -- the completion of its 100th bridge in less than a year.

KTU Constructors is MoDOT's design-build contractor. They won the contract in May 2009 to design and build 554 new bridges across the state. After spending several months getting their team in place, and starting the design process, KTU built four bridges last fall to test some of the construction techniques they expected would help them meet the challenge of rapidly building 554 new bridges in less than five years.

They started anew in March, and last Saturday reopened a bridge on Route M over Shankton Branch in Putnam County (near the Iowa-Missouri border) to hit the century mark. They've completed two more since then, and currently have 44 bridges under construction. In the next two weeks, KTU will begin work on 12 more projects to wrap up the 2010 construction season.

By the end of the year, weather permitting, KTU should have more than 150 new bridges completed.
But wait until 2011! Armed with lessons learned from this year; with the design process complete; and with a full inventory of precast beams awaiting delivery to job sites across the state, KTU plans to step on the gas. They have more than 300 bridges scheduled for 2011, with construction to begin in February.

The Safe & Sound program is well on its way to delivering 802 new and improved bridges to Missouri. Including the 'quick-start' bridges that MoDOT built last year outside of the design-build contract, Safe & Sound has repaired or replaced 265 bridges since April 2009. The pace has accelerated to where a new bridge is opening very two days.

To stay abreast of construction schedules, visit the Safe & Sound interactive map at www.modot.org/safeandsound

Critical Timing

The Route 40 Bridge in Boone County is now better than ever.

Initial plans to replace the bridge in central Missouri included a 60-day closure, and this caused some worry from area business owners. Through open communication and proper planning, that same bridge work time was cut in half and was scheduled for the best possible time of the construction season. As one local business owner states "MoDOT really listened."

The extra effort paid off. Watch below to see the work that is complete and how the community has benefitted from a better bridge.



For information on other Safe & Sound bridges under construction, visit www.modot.org/safeandsound.

A Fourth of the Way There

When the Route JJ bridge over Richland Creek in Morgan County opened last week, it was the 200th bridge completed under MoDOT's Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program. The milestone means we're a quarter of the way finished with fixing 802 of the state's worst bridges by October 2013.

Fifty-four bridges are under construction, with another 548 remaining to be repaired or replaced. Many of the bridges are being closed completely to speed construction, and this has proven to be an effective plan of action. MoDOT is repairing or replacing a bridge every 2.5 days under the program.

Homegrown Bridge

MoDOT will be displaying its own homegrown, blue-ribbon concrete bridge beam at the State Fair that opens later this week. Needless to say, this display does not have the typical agricultural feel that you would expect at the State Fair. But having new, wider bridges in rural areas is extremely important for Missouri's farmers. And that's why MoDOT is taking this opportunity to showcase the Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program.

The program is improving 802 of the state's poorest bridges. The vast majority of them are on rural, low-volume roads. Many of them are just one lane wide. And on average they are 60 years old. Already 192 of these projects have been completed, with MoDOT reopening a new bridge ever two-and-a-half days since April 2009.

Precast bridge elements like the beam that will be on display outside the Highway Gardens are a key part of the design and construction strategies being employed on this project by KTU Constructors, MoDOT's design-build contractor that is building 554 new Safe & Sound bridges. This particular one was made by CoreSlab in Marshall and is 30-feet long and weighs 21,000 pounds. "Missouri loves new bridges!" is painted along its side, and visitors may sign the beam to show their support for improved infrastructure across the state. The beam will be used in a new bridge on Pettis County Route U over Spring Fork Creek that will be built next year. Next to the new beam will be an old, rusty steel girder that came out of another Pettis County bridge that is currently under construction. The contrast between the two is dramatic.

Pettis County has 22 bridges on the Safe & Sound program. Nine of them are already complete and all of them will be done this time next year.

Grant Enables Innovative Bridge Design

Innovation has been at the heart of MoDOT's Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program since it began just under two years ago. Innovative contracting, design, construction methods and materials have allowed MoDOT to pursue the replacement or repair of more than 800 bridges in a short period of time while minimizing inconvenience to drivers and local residents.

Since April 2009, 183 new bridges have been completed and another 48 are under construction. Work on 12 more is to begin next week.

Another innovative bridge design will become a part of the program as a result of a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Sen. Claire McCaskill announced this week that MoDOT would be receiving the grant through the "Highways for Life" program, which is designed to accelerate the adoption of innovations and technologies, improve highway safety and quality, and reduce congestion as a result of construction activity.

MoDOT will use the funds to build three bridges that include Hybrid Composite Beams, or HCBs, a technique never-before used in Missouri. By using the HCBs, construction time can be greatly reduced, future maintenance will be minimized, and the HCB exterior is expected to provide a service life beyond 100 years.

MoDOT's bridge engineers plan to evaluate the HCBs to see if there are further applications for their use on future bridge projects.

One of the bridges to be built with HCBs is on Route 97 in Dade County. Locations for the other two structures are yet to be determined.

Accelerated Innovation

Safe & Sound bridge projects are kicking off across the state. Yesterday, the ribbon was cut on a design-build project completed on Route 61 over Buckeye Creek in Cape Girardeau County. It embodies the goals of the Safe & Sound program by illustrating both flexibility and innovation.

The project was accelerated by one year to accommodate the low weight posting of the previous pony truss bridge. Construction on nearby Interstate 55 that reroutes vehicles over Buckeye Creek meant that an innovative solution was needed quickly.

The pony truss structure was replaced with twin Super Cor structures -- prefabricated metal culverts with concrete retaining walls. It's the first bridge of this type on the Missouri state system. Using the Super Cor components meant the project could be completed more quickly and with less labor.

The picture above shows the demolition of the old pony truss bridge.

The new and improved bridge using the Super Cor structures.

A Big Start to Spring

With the arrival of spring comes the beginning of the MoDOT construction season, and for the Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program, every week of good weather is spawning more and more bridge projects.

Last year, 121 bridges across the state were improved. Three more have already reopened in 2010. There will be more than 200 projects this year as MoDOT's design-build contractor -- KTU Constructors -- makes its first big foray into the field. KTU plans to build 150 new bridges this year, while MoDOT manages another 50 rehabilitation projects. By the end of 2013, 802 of Missouri's poorest bridges will have been repaired or replaced.

MoDOT's contract with KTU requires that they average 45-day closures for the 554 bridge replacements they are delivering. That's twice as fast as the normal pace for a bridge project! KTU built four new bridges in the fall to test their design and construction strategies that will bring speed to the program.

Over the winter, KTU was busy establishing regional offices in Lee's Summit, Bethany, Chillicothe, Sedalia and Benton -- nearby the areas where much of this year's work will take place. They completed bridge designs and put packages of bridges out for bid with Missouri sub-contractors who will perform much of the work. They also have suppliers busy fabricating pre-cast beams that will be used in this year's projects.

To help motorists stay abreast of the construction schedule and to navigate around these projects, MoDOT has created an interactive Web map that includes suggested detour routes, project details and schedule information -- http://safeandsoundmap.modot.mo.gov/sas.htm.

The color-coded map shows bridges that are under construction, those that have been completed, those that are to begin with three months, those that are to start in the next year, and those that are scheduled for construction in 2011-12-13.

Top Ten for 2009

Making lists is popular this time of year, whether it’s for holiday shopping, a year-in-review list or the things you’re pledging to do (or not do) in the new year.

Topping MoDOT's accomplishment list this year is a drop in highway fatalities for the fourth year in a row. The completion of I-64 and first-in-the-nation status aren't too shabby, either. Watch below to see MoDOT's "Top Ten" for 2009, and send your comments on what you'd like to see in 2010.

MoDOT Celebrates a Safe & Sound Centennial!

One hundred and counting! That’s the number of bridges the Missouri Department of Transportation has now fixed as a part of its commitment under the Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program – an initiative to fix 802 of the state’s worst bridges in five years.


This morning Gov. Jay Nixon joined MoDOT Director Pete Rahn, members of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission and local officials to celebrate the completion of a redeck project on the Route E bridge in Platte County over the Platte River. It was the 100th bridge completed since April when it reopened on October 24.


MoDOT and its contractor partners are working so fast on these projects that already seven more have been completed! There are another 13 under construction that will be completed before the end of the year. Since the first bridge was completed on April 23, 107 bridges have been improved in 194 days.


But if you think opening a bridge about every two days is impressive, wait until next year! In 2010, close to 250 bridges will be constructed. And almost 200 of those will be completely new bridges, built under the Design-Build portion of the Safe & Sound program by KTU Constructors.


Construction schedules are being completed, and MoDOT will be conducting community briefings through the winter months to provide construction and detour information while these bridges are closed.


The contract with KTU Constructors requires that the average closure be no more than 45 days. That's twice as fast as the normal 90 days it takes to build a new bridge.

Speedy Bridge Projects

Wow. MoDOT contractors have been completing and reopening bridges around the state every day-and-a-half since late April.

On Friday, Chester Bross Construction Co. completed the 50th bridge project in MoDOT's Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program -- the Route BB bridge over Island Creek in Gentry County, near King City.

Speed of construction is a key feature of the Safe & Sound program, and so far so good. The average bridge closure to date has been 40 days and the projects have been completed an average of three days ahead of schedule.

By the end of this year, more than 100 new bridges will have been completed on the way to the program's total of 802 by Oct. 31, 2014.

Soon, KTU Constructors will determine its schedule for the most ambitious part of Safe & Sound -- the complete replacement of 554 bridges.

Stay tuned.

Safe & Sound Web map can help you get around closed bridges

Today, five more bridges have been closed around the state to allow them to be swiftly re-decked. Two more will close tomorrow. This means 36 bridges on the Safe & Sound program are under construction. Twenty-five have already been completed!

We understand that road closures are an inconvenience. But doing so allows the construction team to work as quickly as possible. It also controls cost by virtually eliminating the need to buy new right of way and to build lots of costly new sections of roadway.

Since last fall, MoDOT has been holding community briefings to prepare residents for the projects that are coming to their areas, and to learn of local constraints that may impact construction schedules. So far, so good. A recent survey of people who attended some of those events found that 90 percent of them felt the decision-making process was open, transparent and fair; 97.7 percent said MoDOT had explained the projects in a manner that was completely understandable; and 86 percent said they were satisfied with how their concerns were addressed.

One tool MoDOT has been using to help people cope with bridge closures is an interactive map on the MoDOT Web site. The map locates each of the 802 Safe & Sound bridges with icons of different colors that indicate where the bridge stands within the schedule -- a future commitment, construction within 12 months, construction within 3 months, under construction, and construction completed. Clicking on each icon gives you a picture of the bridge, facts about the bridge and the construction plans, and in most cases a suggested detour map to get around the construction site. The data is updated every day.

It might help your travels this summer.

New Bridges Are Popping Up All Over

Since early spring, new bridges have been popping up all over Missouri as work has gotten underway on MoDOT's Safe & Sound bridge improvement program. As the Memorial Day weekend arrives, 23 new bridges have been completed and 26 more are under construction.

This bevy of activity is part of MoDOT's plan to improve or replace 802 of the state's worst bridges by Oct. 31, 2014. It started last fall when the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission directed MoDOT to launch the Safe & Sound program in two phases. The first was to take 248 bridges that could be rehabilitated and begin rolling them out for bids in innovative packages that grouped bridges by size, type or location. The second phase was to begin a design-build procurement to identify a team that could completely replace 554 bridges.

The bridge projects that have been completed so far are all part of that first phase, and they have been done 30 percent below budget.

In the coming months, though, even more bridge construction work is going to start as a result of actions taken yesterday by the Commission. They awarded a design-build contract to KTU Constructors to replace 554 bridges at a cost of $487 million. That price includes design, construction, project management and public outreach activities. It also protects MoDOT against inflation.

To pay for the program, MoDOT will sell bonds and repay them over 24 years within its budgeted amount of annual payments in the neighborhood of $50 million. KTU's price represents a savings in excess of $500 million over the life of the project compared to the prices that were quoted to MoDOT last fall when the department was seeking to launch this program with the contracting team providing private financing and 25-year maintenance.

KTU Constructors is a group of contractors and engineering firms. Kiewit Western Company of Omaha, Neb. is the lead and is joined by Traylor Bros., Inc., of Evansville, Ind., United Contractors, Inc., of Great Falls, S.C., HNTB Corporation of Kansas City, and The LPA Group of Columbia, S.C.

They have commited to completing their work by the end of 2013 -- a full 10 months earlier that required by MoDOT, and to average no more than 45 days closure for each bridge site. That is building at light speed! The normal MoDOT bridge project takes about 90 days.

In the coming weeks, KTU and MoDOT will finalize the design-build contract. KTU has indicated that it will open regional offices around the state to coordinate the complicated logistics associated with the project, and will be seeking Missouri subcontractors and materials suppliers to support their effort.

Besides replacing many of Missouri's worst bridges, Safe & Sound will put people to work. Using the same formula as used by the U.S. government for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act projects, Safe & Sound will support more than 5,300 jobs either directly or indirectly.

To speed construction and to control costs, most of these bridges will be closed for construction. To help motorists, MoDOT has launched an interactive map on its Web site that uses a series of color-coded icons to identify each bridge. Clicking on an icon allows the user to view detour and construction information. At least one of these bridges is located in every one of Missouri's 114 counties.

KTU officials yesterday indicated that once they are up and running, they will be delivering a completed bridge about every two days! That's amazing. They suggested that members of MoDOT's Safe & Sound team may want to purchase new running shoes because they'll be sprinting to keep up with them.

Since MoDOT director Pete Rahn first announced this program in 2006, other states have been watching with interest because a project like this has never been tackled before. Now it's become a reality. Don't be surprised if this type of system-wide bridge improvement project isn't copied by others, because every state struggles with how to manage its inventory of deteriorating bridges.