UCP Spring 2018 Newsletter – Utility Concrete

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Project Highlights

We have recently finished many exciting projects here at UCP. See some of the unique precast concrete solutions we created below!

IDOT Accelerated Bridge Reconstruction

As the nation’s infrastructure continues to age, the number of bridges requiring rehabilitation, repair, or total replacement continues to increase. One of the greatest concerns with bridge construction and repair, along with varying types of new construction, is how the project will affect the surrounding community, with safety, quality of life, and economical impacts being major considerations. In densely populated areas, the effects of lane closures or complete shutdown of a bridge can result in a larger economic cost to the area than the project cost itself. This makes way for the increasingly adopted practice of Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC). ABC is a method of bridge construction that uses innovative planning, design, materials, and construction methods in both a safe and cost-effective way to reduce onsite time that occurs during new builds, bridge replacement, and/or rehabilitation. The use of precast concrete is an integral part of the ABC process, as it allows for the infrastructure components to be cast off-site reducing congestion, impact on motorists, total project delivery time, and improves safety on site.

UCP was chosen to be the precast producer for IDOT’s first accelerated bridge construction project over Gar Creek in Kankakee County, IL. With UCP’s long history in supplying superior precast components for owners, including full and partial depth bridge approach slabs, wingwalls, abutments, and pier caps, we were selected as fabricator for this project. Precast was the clear option over cast-in-place since the installing contractor only had a 72-hour window to completely remove and replace the single-span bridge. Even though this was the first ABC project for IDOT, it was very successful paving the way for more opportunities to utilize this method of bridge construction on future projects.

UCP’s scope of work consisted of producing four precast wingwalls, two pier caps, two approach footings, and eight full-depth bridge approach slabs with integral parapets. The size and length of the pieces and the custom forming required to fabricate these structures were a few of the challenges that our highly skilled operations team overcame. The heaviest piece produced weighed nearly 78,000 lbs and spanned 39’-2”. It was cast with (11) 1’-9” diameter voids on the bottom surface ranging in height from 1’-6” to 2’-0” to fit over field-driven H piles. The voids were filled with high strength grout, allowing the load from the bridge deck to be transferred deep into ground. Strict tolerances were upheld by our top-notch, in-house quality control team to ensure exact dimensions of the precast components to avoid fitup issues.

The overall goal of implementing ABC on this project was to fine tune the current system for future projects. The project was a productive learning process for everyone involved, and only the most technically inclined precaster could have fabricated or maintained the dimensional tolerances of these intricate bridge structures. With UCP’s reputation for consistently meeting necessary target dates and our commitment to producing innovative and superior precast products, the decision was simple for the contractor. Utility Concrete Products welcomes the opportunity to be a part of future jobs that incorporate ABC.

Click here to see additional Accelerated Bridge Construction projects

WISDOT Precast Sign Columns

We recently fabricated (66) precast sign columns for use on the WisDOT Zoo Interchange project in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The original design intent was for these columns to be formed and poured on site, however, the installing contractor opted to value engineer the columns with precast from UCP. The columns range in height from 20′-8 1/2″ to 40′-11 1/2″ and weighed from 31,160 lbs to 94,260 lbs. A cast-in-place footing is poured with exposed rebar that connects to the precast through the use of splice sleeves which are filled with high strength grout. The splice sleeves are oversized to allow for extra tolerance to aid with ease and speed of installation. The overhead sign structures are secured to the precast through use of anchor bolts cast into the top of the column during the precast production process. The choice to use precast for this application saved the contractor a significant amount of time and money as forming these sign columns onsite is difficult and labor intensive.

Click here to see additional Accelerated Bridge Construction projects

CTA Washington Wabash Station

The new CTA Washington/Wabash station includes (168) track level precast platforms, which feature a special architectural, deep sandblast finish. Details such as openings for the canopy columns/fire hydrants/wind barrier posts, locations of stainless steel embed plates, and depressions for ADA tactile strips were incorporated into fabrication through extensive communication between UCP and the general contractor. With the elevated station set in the heart of Chicago’s Loop neighborhood, the tight schedule and jobsite conditions favored precast over forming and pouring concrete in place. Opened to the public in 2017, the new station enhances passenger convenience, improves train speeds, decreases operating costs, and provides ADA accessibility. This is part of CTA’s on-going goal to improve and renovate existing stations in its current system. UCP looks forward to providing many more precast solutions for the ongoing CTA modernization/improvement programs.

Click here to see additional Innovative Solutions projects

Essex Sanitary Sewer Extension Septic Tanks

Utility Concrete Products recently completed two 16,000 gallon precast septic tanks for the Sanitary Sewer Extension Project in Essex, Illinois. These enormous structures measured 41’-6” x 9’-2” x 8’-0” and weighed 114,000 pounds each. The precast tanks were produced as an alternate option to a fiberglass septic tank design. Precast was a superior option to fiberglass, as UCP’s top-notch production team was able to build these structures as a two-piece system that incorporated a large concrete deadman slab to prevent floating. Typically, the slab is poured separately in the field when a fiberglass tank is used, but precast tanks eliminated that step, and saved the contractor time in the field during installation.

Click here to see additional Drainage projects

2017 Scofield Design Award Grand Prize Winner

UCP is honored to have recently accepted a 2017 Scofield Decorative Concrete Award as the Grand Prize Winner in the Heavy/Highway Concrete Category for our Wave Wall project at Northwestern University. The award was accepted at 2018’s World of Concrete in Las Vegas.

Click here to see additional Innovative Solutions projects

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