Segments are transported from the fabricating plant to the bridge by a An epoxy stronger than concrete was used between segments. This is the first time it has ever been an issue.. the safety of the Zilwaukee Bridge, then nearing completion. The compound gets rid of the ice without any worry of corrosion to the bridge. This would have been a big enough problem with only the increased vehicle traffic, but Michigan's growing economy also meant that shipping traffic was rapidly increasing. The bridge carries the I-75 / US 23 road. The project is expected to last through January 2015. Thanks to the new bridge, it is easy to get over the Saginaw. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. I dont know whether or not the problem with the Z-Bridge is limited to the Z-Bridge or not, said Kahn, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, in a recent interview. of the new bridge as segments are erected one against another and are post-tensioned course, for many Michiganders, the Zilwaukee Bridge evokes a response harkening The bridge is built to carry more than double the heaviest traffic load expected during the worst traffic jams. The Zilwaukee Bridge wasnt the only option pitched when thinking about how to stop the traffic jams. For five years, it has routinely stored blueprints electronically, he And the final contract to complete the bridge after a construction mishap totaled $38 million. segments is then pulled together with high-strength steel cables, also Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning, Michigan However, construction of the new segmental concrete bridge ran into trouble in 1982 when an expansion joint was overloaded, crushing the temporary expansion block. Many more steel tendons are stressed at this time to make the two spans Traffic shifted between I-75/US-23 and I-675 twice weekly to ensure three lanes were open in the direction of peak travel. 107. which are hollow and usually rectangular in shape. Segments plant at the bridge site. Technology for ost-tensioned, segmental, box girder bridges was developed Information. The Zilwaukee Bridge along Interstate 75 over the Saginaw River. MDOT said crews erected a steel reinforcement on the exterior of the bridge to ensure that the structural integrity of the bridge continues to remain sound. We are working to learn more information. The current eight-lane structure, completed in 1988, is the second such bridge at this location, replacing . This important artery allows traffic to move through the area without. This important artery allows traffic to move through the area without entering downtown Saginaw. of high-strength reinforced concrete segments held together by thousands Chris has a master's degree in history and teaches at the University of Northern Colorado. If not replaced, the normal shifting movements of the bridge would cause additional damage, thus reducing its lifespan. Six steps were required to bring the tilted 300-foot deck section back to its intened position. The ships captain suffered minor injuries. The two new segments then are stressed to the to meet back up with US-23 (present-day M-13) Unfortunately, something happened that would change that plan. of Jason Hill: Zilwaukee Gallery, Michigan in Pictures: The Zilwaukee Bridge, Zilwaukee en.wikipedia.org. As more and more ships traversed the Saginaw River, the bridge had to be opened more frequently, stopping vehicle traffic. One place where this really became an issue was in the town of Zilwaukee, Michigan in the US. There are more than 4,000 miles of post-tensioned steel cable in the 1.5-mile-long bridge. two spans of the bridge simultaneously. In 1975, transit officials decided to build a high-level bridge over the river. back end and drives directly off. Almost exactly nine months later, the southbound side of the The southbound lanes opened in the fall of 1988, at which point the old bascule bridge was officially closed. It didnt really work, and Zilwaukee did not turn into Milwaukee. The last one was cast in late 1986. Chynoweth noted the new bearings would double the Zilwaukee Bridge's lifespan to a now-predicted 100 years, or through 2087. to traffic, the bad news did not stop even after motorists had been using It took several hours for tugs to move the ship back into Saginaw Bay. polychorinated biphenyl will cost at least $100,000 and could delay completion Michigan Highways > In Depth: The Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning. no alterationsgrammatical or otherwisehave been made. He has a BA in Philosophy from UC Santa Barbara, and an MA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from CEVRO Institute, Prague, Czech Republic. My concern is (if) there are other examples out there of marked drawings that are incomplete. Back to: Table of Contents, Michigan [3] The Zilwaukee Bridge is approximately 8,000 feet (2,400m) in length and rises 125 feet (38m) at its highest point.[1][2]. The Zilwaukee Bridge has some impressive specifications. Needless to say, the draw bridge wasnt exactly working. To ease the commute along this route, a bridge was constructed over the Saginaw River. the opening of the (original) Zilwaukee Bridge in 1960 it became clear The northbound portion of the bridge was finally opened to traffic on December 23, 1987, just in time for Christmas. Construction crews began work on a major renovation project on the Zilwaukee Bridge this week. more than six times as much as a fully-loaded standard 18-wheel, 40-ton The towns population, as of 2010, was about 1,600. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. mate on the structure, a process called "match-casting." And thanks to Chris Bessert for compiling all of this great historical information. [Image: The bridge takes shape. In August of 1982, just one year before the bridge was supposed to be completed, one of the temporary compression blocks failed and collapsed. At the time, the project was the largest pre-cast concrete segmental bridge in the United States, and the largest project the MDOT had ever undertaken. Adam has taught history, government, and economics to students in grades 6-12 for five years. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters. It is the cables that hold all the segments in compression. The first two of those still serve this route across the current Zilwaukee Bridge today, but U.S. 10 was scaled back to end . On example of a common but not simple auction is when the opponents compete vs. our 1NT Semi-Forcing bid. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. The original bridge routed traffic through the small city of Saginaw. Crank up the tunes. A midnight crew scrambled to safety as an overloaded thousand-foot-long bridge section shook, buckled and sagged. in an MDOT-produced publication from the early-1990s: The called tendons, to form a solid unit. I believe it was demolished in 1989. Flint Journal file photoTravelers go on the Zilwaukee Bridge during lunchtime in 1999. There will be about 27,000 miles of eighth-inch wire in the completed 1.5-mile-long bridge. accident, what caused it and what was done to remedy the situation can cast into each segment. However, let's step back in time to the genesis of the crossing copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. The main reason for the accident was that too much weight was placed on a compression block. Though some have speculated that the bridge was glued together, theyre not entirely far off. needed to complete the bridge. fabrication of the segments. text here is reproduced word-for-word from the original report and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 7/1/2022). as the construction proceeds. The segments at Zilwaukee were constructed at a specially designed casting A December 1979 article in the Owosso Argus-Press noted in 1968, a City of Bay City official stated "the bridge even caused a 56-mile long traffic jam.". On some cold days these new sections could not be properly sealed against water infiltration, eventually leading to spalling as the water froze and expanded. And they did this to try and trick new settlers, like immigrants, into thinking it was actually Milwaukee. The northbound lanes of Interstate 75 across the bridge, closed since Feb. 18, 2008, to replace bearings that allow it to expand and contract in changing weather, were due to reopen by the end of March. The northbound lane of bridge is now closed due to construction and will likely remain closed through July 4 . The current eight-lane structure, completed in 1988, is the second such bridge at this location, replacing a four-lane bascule bridge constructed in 1960. The mayor said he also is concerned about emergency responders having easy access to the city. Check back here for updates. The best, most concise description of the Zilwaukee Bridge can be found Already way over budget and long behind schedule, Chynoweth said fixing the mess took an engineering effort on a scale with designing a whole new bridge. But the state has about half a dozen spans, such as the Blue Water, Zug Island and Mackinac bridges, where it could apply lessons learned from the Zilwaukee Bridge mishap, he said. Bridge Construction Engineering. MDOT spokesman William L. Shreck said old construction plans are not a new issue, but the problem with the Zilwaukee Bridge was. The bridge has twin decks built of a series "From the 'as built' plans for the bridge, the only steel that was expected to be encountered were smaller steel bars," said Bay Region Engineer Robert Ranck. It was opened in 1988 and is 8,000 feet (2440 m) long and 125 feet (38 m) at its highest point. The weight of the launching girder, combined with the truck carrying a This only after The effect caused one side of the 300-foot-long section of bridge deck to sag and the other to rise. project later in the decade. When the block was crushed, a 300-foot-long section of bridge deck sagged 5 feet on one end and rose 3-and-a-half feet on the other, according to MDOT records. The river serves as the boundary between Zilwaukee Township and the city of Zilwaukee at this point, which is approximately 5 miles (8.0km) north of downtown Saginaw. The immediate response to the accident was to halt construction and investigate the extent of the damage. The bridge carries the I-75 / US 23 road. While no Saginaw River crossing seems to have been After more than four years, MDOT announced a $70-million project to replace 154 of the bridge's bearings as well as rebuild four miles of the I-75/US-23 freeway between the I-675 junctions, replace the Janes Ave overpass, and repair and widen the Wadsworth Rd and CSX Railroad underpasses to the south of the bridge. auto transporter trucks weighing 40 tons each. A report released by MDOT in December 2010 noted the problems with the 2008 project were due to faulty documentation from the bridge's original construction. The Mackinac Bridge opened in 1957. 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River at the border of Washington and Oregon, opened in 1982, and the new This was Do you know anyspectacular road?Click here to send us all the info, and we'll publish it! About 15 years after it opened, plans to replace it with a high-level bridge would start gaining steam, according to Michigan Highways. The original Zilwaukee Bridge as a four-lane draw bridge. They rejected a proposed steel bridge in favor of a slightly cheaper concrete model estimated at $77M. Cables in the bridge run through galvanized steel ducts that have been and can roll across these legs when necessary to move to a new position as well. The bridge was only 150 feet wide and several ships actually hit The mile-and-a-half long bridge replaces Crews removed some of the concrete material making up the bridge itself and removed the original bearings, then installed the new ones along with an inch of concrete grout. earlier two-lane highway of Saginaw was incorporated into the new Interstate Crossing the Saginaw River may have been exciting for kids who liked drawbridges, but enough adults became tired of the constant traffic that a new structure was needed. Today, there are more than 70 segmental bridges either completed or under He succumbed to a year-long battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, in March 2018. the Saginaw River at Zilwaukee. the span for more than a year. (MDOT) BAY CITY, Mich - Bay County 911 reports there are two different multi-vehicle accidents on both northbound and southbound I-75 on top of the Zilwaukee Bridge. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (User Agreement updated 1/1/21. to four hours in duration and often up to 30 miles in length. With regard to the bridge itself, 154 bearings installed during the bridge's construction in the 1980s were replaced with new ones made of "a high-density plastic material" according to MDOT's Engineer of Bridge Field Services Matthew J. Chynoweth. They range from a few hundred Copyright 2022 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. Almost exactly nine months later, the southbound side of the bridge was opened. 91.3 Port Huron 89.7 Lansing 91.1 Flint. Construction on the new Zilwaukee Bridge began in 1979. major holiday weekends and during the fall hunting season. A three-week project turned into six months, and crews ended up discovering that more than 30 of the new bearings werent properly designed and would not fit. group to create a solid unit, six segments long. Detroit Free Press noted "Containing and removing the toxic Use our interactive map to explore the roads or just discover them by browsing the site. The cause, according to Michigan Highways, was construction loads at that location were too heavy. on the new structure commenced in late-1979 and was projected to cost approximately Each is formed by 12 strands of steel cable, and each strand is formed by seven wires about one-eighth inch in diameter. The project ran from April 2013 through 2015. As the interstate highway system brought increased traffic to the area, a drawbridge was built in 1960. In this installment, MDOT. In 1960, the first Department of Transportation in response to public concerns about Here are some facts, myths and statistics about the bridge, which turns 30 this weekend. But apparently, the settlers of the small town named it Zilwaukee (originally Zilwaukie) as a homage to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which at the time was one of the fastest growing industrial cities in the region. After the completion of the new bridge, the Zilwaukee Bridge experienced a stretch of mostly peace for cars and freighters alike. On precast segmental bridges, the concrete segments must be delivered The state spent $120 million to build the bridge but design problems and. "These hand-written plans, drafted around 1980, were used to build the original bridge. The current bridge is not the first Zilwaukee River crossing. ), The You are still completely responsible for your decisions, your actions, and your safety. It was the only stop on I-75 from southern Florida to the northern tip of Michigan. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 7/1/2022). The resulting fiasco was the worst in Michigan's transit history. The draw bridge was opening and we would hope it wasnt opening when we were there, Fleisher said. Zilwaukee Bridge crash leaves 49-year-old woman seriously injured SAGINAW COUNTY, MI - Police expect a 49-year-old Ortonville woman to survive serious injuries she sustained after being hit by. Unfortunately, shipping increased fourfold in the early 1960s; and each time the drawbridge opened, cars would back up for miles. girder. Kahn also expressed concern about future lane closures on the bridge. Support MLive.com. Traffic began using the Zilwaukee Bridge again on October 1, 2008. of the unfinished ramps crossed a buried landfill contaminated with PCBs. The bridge design called for expansion joints that would enable the bridge to expand and contract as the temperature rose and fell. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 23 chapters | This balanced group of four The project is expected to last through January 2015. Zilwaukee Bridge is ahigh level bridge carrying I-75 [and US-23] over Bridge "bearings" are pads under the bridge deck that transfer loads to the piers while allowing for some movement. Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning. The report found that undocumented field changes occurred during construction.". Zilwaukee Mayor Gene Jolin said he hopes the state will keep two-way traffic on the bridge when it starts a two-year deck replacement and bearing project in 2012. the bridge, causing damage and additional tie-ups on the freeway as well. The . Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning, The Now, the bridge is very busy. Create your account. Engineers said even after 35 years, its holding up well. Brunner said MDOT will meet with government officials and business owners to review traffic patterns before construction begins. Traffic: Estimated 21,600,000 vehicles per year. The previous drawbridge was the only location at which the I-75 stopped between Florida and Michigan. since the bridges construction in the 1980s, the agency has used Authorities chose the lower-cost option. The Department followed rigid procedures for quality control during the where they are to be erected. The issue of one-way traffic is of great concern to local businesses and local government, he wrote in the letter to Steudle. Its purpose, though, was largely as a seal to keep out water and roadway contaminants. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a high-level, segmental concrete bridge spanning the Saginaw River in the U.S. state of Michigan.The river serves as the boundary between Zilwaukee Township and the city of Zilwaukee at this point, which is approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) north of downtown Saginaw.. concrete segment onto the bridge, is the equivalent of 49 fully-loaded These joints have to be kept perfectly immobile during construction, so they are filled with temporary blocks held in place with steel tendons. of steel cable, and each strand is formed by seven wires about one-eighth But in the 1980s, the Zilwaukee Bridge controversially turned into Michigans most expensive. The initial budget of $79 million had already been exceeded by $48 million, when at time in 1982, the bridge was roughly two-thirds completed, and a 150-foot (46 m) long segment weighing 6,700-ton (6,070 metric tonnes), not being properly counterbalanced, tipped down to being five feet (1.5 m) out of alignment, with the other end rising 3.5 feet (1.1 m). site. It wasnt until 1987 that the final piece of concrete would be installed, and the northbound lanes of I-75/US-23 were routed over the bridge just before Christmas in 1987. In the early-1950s, the Michigan State Highway Department constructed a It caused serious damage. new eastern bypass of Saginaw for through US-23 traffic, built in western Europe and have been found to be generally more economical subjected every day to far heavier weights than it will ever experience On Saturday, the bridge has three southbound lanes, while northbound traffic. To protect them from corrosion, all the high strength, post-tensioned steel cables inside the . on the bridge did not resume until late 1984 under a new contract with This was done because the truck and trailer wouldnt have enough space to turn around. Traffic heading north each weekend, and south when the weekend is over, will still be able to traverse three lanes on the bridge. feet in length to the huge I-205 Freeway Bridge, spanning the Columbia Well, hold on -- not exactly. Traffic heading north each weekend, and south when the weekend is over, will still be able to traverse three lanes on the bridge. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. On August 28, 1982, temporary compression blocks began to crush while a concrete segment was being transported, causing a 300-foot-long section of the bridge deck to sag five feet on one end, and rise three-and-a-half feet on the other end. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a high-level bridge carrying I-75 (and U.S. 23) over the Saginaw River at Zilwaukee. In 1960, the new route opened -- and the Zilwaukee Bridge was born. MDOT Bay City Transportation Service Center Manager Gregg Brunner said back to a major construction accident while bridge was not yet half completed He enjoys suffering through Lions games on Sundays in the fall. The accident delayed construction for over 2 years.Pic: http://media.mlive.com/saginawnews_impact/photo/zilwaukee-bridge-bbec235072ccfec4.jpg. Were talking about, of course, the Zilwaukee Bridge. With fuel prices the way they are, every mile extra hurts.. Along with asking for new procedures so that mistakes are not made due to outdated blueprints, the letter asked the agency to notify the senators office when the procedures are finalized.. SAGINAW, Mich. - Friday marks 35 years since the Michigan Department of Transportation opened the Zilwaukee Bridge. That same article noted the City could save $10-30 million by buying the then-18-year-old structure than building a brand-new one, although it would have had to get Coast Guard approval, since it would have violated the maximum required channel with of 150 feet. 4: The Accident in The it joins. The tractor simply delivers the segment In the 1950s, Michigan expanded its transportation system expanding north from Saginaw and through Zilwaukee. The Saginaw News article also details an instance where Michigan State Police raised the bridge to stop a fleeing criminal on I-75. of the ramp, now scheduled to open this year. Neither do we. However, construction ground to a halt in 1982 when a significant accident paralyzed work. The incident added many years to the projected completion of the new bridge. joint between the segments. The State Journal story from Nov. 11, 1960. problems concerned the massive traffic tie-ups on the freeway each time portion of the new route in the Saginaw area was opened to traffic. The newly developed concept of interstate highways changed the way that people moved around and brought more commuters through the region on their way from Detroit to the Upper and Lower Peninsula-connecting Mackinac Bridge. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. It was actually a four-lane draw bridge and a freeway beginning at the northern end of the. with many steel cables to form the decks.]. This drawbridge was meant to ease congestion, but made it worse as both vehicle and shipping traffic drastically increased. Still looking for information "and Bay City officials want to buy it, dismantle it and move it 7 1/2 miles north to replace bridge in city that collapsed in the 1950s. Related: The story of Metro Detroits Cold War nuclear missile defense system: The original homeland security. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. And it wasnt just the cars that suffered. Many have been While there was a bridge in 1953, the area gained importance as a thoroughfare with the completion of the interstate highway system during the 1950s. Ha! Michigan Highways > In Depth: The Zilwaukee Bridge, Page Contents: History The Replacement & Accident Ongoing Maintenance Zilwaukee The construction of the structure was plagued with difficulties: when it was approximately half-complete, a major construction accident halted all work in August 1982. The bridge was built segment by segment, working from one end of the river toward the other side. A match-cast segment is attached to one side of that pier group Its a stretch many who live in Metro Detroit are familiar with as a passage for a trip to Northern Michigan, perhaps for Memorial Day or Labor Day. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. part of the I-75/US-10/US-23 freeway. But work didnt resume after the accident until 1984, with a new contractor. consisted of the new four-lane, double-leaf bascule (draw) bridge and a originally and prevents water seepage. being completed at either end of the new bridge, it was discovered one The tilting also damaged the pier footing beneath it. Originally, the bridge seemed like a big improvement, but it ran into problems rather quickly. The Zilwaukee Bridge was conceived as a way around I-75's drawbridge, called a bascule bridge, over the Saginaw River. The town's founders called it Zilwaukee to confuse it with the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in hopes of luring settlers there to work. Periodically flooded roads around the world. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a high-level, segmental concrete bridge spanning the Saginaw River in the U.S. state of Michigan. http://www.michiganhighways.org/listings/US-010.html. Saturday, August 20th 2022 Crashes impacting NB and SB 75 on the Zilwaukee Bridge. At Zilwaukee, The Saginaw Township Republican indicated he wants to avoid a repeat of a snafu that forced thousands of motorists to detour from the northbound lanes of the Zilwaukee Bridge for most of 2008. Read: The Z-Bridge: The turbulent history behind Michigans Zilwaukee Bridge. The We need to make sure that we have good agreements with partner about how our bidding changes when the opponents come into the auction. 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