UCP Winter 2017 Newsletter

Project Highlights

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

Chicago Riverwalk Underbridge Tubs

The third and final phase of the Chicago Riverwalk construction project was recently opened to the public on October 22, 2016.  This final phase extended the Riverwalk, located on the South side of the main branch of the Chicago River adjacent to Wacker Drive, from LaSalle Street to Lake Street putting the final leg on a continuous walkway from the heart of downtown to the lakefront. 

In order to create a continuous path, the project required a means for pedestrians to pass under the bridges.  Originally, the user’s path would be impeded once they’d reach a bridge, at which point they’d have to use stairs to exit, cross the street, and re-access on the other side.  The Riverwalk project alleviated this issue by including an underbridge concrete path which spans over submerged piles within the existing river’s right of way. 

Utility Concrete Products was brought on to fabricate and supply the main precast structure for these paths, referred to as underbridge tubs.  Each underbridge required three precast sections, which resemble a concrete bathtub, to provide the necessary structure to pour cast-in-place (CIP) concrete and create a composite connection to complete the underbridge.  The tubs are 10’-0″ wide x 4’-0″ tall and varied in length from 38’-0″ up to 86’-3 ¾” with the heaviest piece being at the LaSalle St. Bridge weighing in at nearly 164,000#. The longest tubs were poured with a precise camber that leveled out once the CIP concrete was poured within. Poured with a High Strength High-Performance Concrete (HSHPC) mix, the tubs are designed to withstand the marine elements as they are constantly submerged in the Chicago River. 

Each tub is heavily reinforced with large diameter epoxy coated rebar spanning the longitudinal direction and was cast with either 6’-0″ or 8’-0″ diameter openings in the floor so that they could be installed on similar size piers in the field.  In these openings are massive ½” steel embed plates to connect to the piers. Further, a post installed neoprene seal provided a watertight seal between the precast and shafts once installed.

To transport the precast tubs to the jobsite, they were delivered to an auxiliary site along the river and loaded onto specially designed barges with the largest capacity crane in the Chicagoland area.  Once loaded onto the barges, the tub sections were welded together and floated up the South Branch of the Chicago River to the jobsite.  The barges positioned the tubs over previously drilled piers that they set on prior to being lowered to final elevation by a complex jacking system.  Once in place, the tubs were heavily reinforced and infilled with the HSHPC mix, which secured the tubs to the piers below and also created the final walking surface for the users.  Each underbridge was ultimately outfitted with a guardrail and a stainless steel canopy system to shield from runoff of the bridge decks above.  UCP is grateful to have been a part of such a high-profile project for the City of Chicago.

Click here to see additional Innovative Solutions projects

O’Hare 9C-27C East Package Project

We were recently challenged to create a precast concrete alternate design for Junction Chambers specified as cast-in-place concrete for the O’Hare 9C-27C East Package Project. Both UCP and the contractor had many factors to consider when putting the design together, which included loading forces, strength, size, weight, assembly, shipping, and the required delivery date. After much discussion, a design was agreed upon, which included UCP building complete structures utilizing multiple pieces, while incorporating both horizontal and vertical construction joints with mechanical connections to allow for large pipe openings and still maintain a reasonable picking weight, which the contractor required. Yet one more example of great communication, start to finish, between the contractor, engineers, the owner, and the UCP team.

Click here to see additional Electrical projects

Chicago Precast Bridge Approach Slabs

For the reconstruction of the Torrence Avenue Bridge spanning the Grand Calumet River, UCP provided 22 partial-depth precast approach slabs. The precast spans from the approach footing to the bridge abutment acting as a land bridge, which combats the issues seen with cast-on-grade applications, including settlement and cracking. A 5″ concrete wearing surface is poured in the field, which is tied to the precast through exposed, epoxy coated u-bar cast during the precast process. The purpose of this project was to replace the existing bridge structure, as it was severely deteriorating. The new bridge will enhance safety, improve mobility of traffic, and reduce maintenance costs. The use of precast for the approach slabs will decrease settling, providing a smooth transition for the driver from the roadway to the bridge deck.

Click here to see additional Accelerated Bridge Construction projects

Morris Long Term Control Project

UCP was contracted to design and build a precast concrete alternate to cast-in-place designed manholes as part of the Morris Long Term Control Project. These structures are designed to be part of a solution to control and reduce water runoff from flowing into nearby rivers and creeks when heavy rains test and overcome the capacities of the drainage systems in place. These custom manholes include a three piece design and utilize a grout ring depression for pipe connections. Coordination and communication between the contractor and UCP allowed for our precast design to include precise locations of exposed rebar and mechanical couplers for wall and column sections to be poured in place in the field.

Click here to see additional Drainage projects

Meet our Team: UCP Sales

Mike Pistilli joined the UCP team in 2013 as the Sales Manager. With nearly three decades of industry experience in Sales and Operations, he understands the importance of customer relationships in business. Utility Concrete Products has had a long tradition of being an easy company to work with and working with customers to develop solutions to meet their needs. Mike carries on this tradition, working with persons at all different levels, ensuring UCP is doing all we can to service our customers to the best of our abilities.

Leah Dix, Account Manager, has over 10 years of experience in Sales and is a graduate of the University of Illinois. Leah manages the sales process for a variety of projects for both standard and custom products. She supplies customers with quotes, guides them through the submittal/approval process, and coordinates production and deliveries. Leah also manages the marketing responsibilities for UCP, including social media and advertising.

Nicole Finnegan studied at St. Xavier University and offers 15 years of sales experience as our Account Manager. Her role involves working with contractors to provide pricing and quotes, submittals, and day to day relationship management for DOT, governmental and a variety of private projects.

Jed Davis oversees Technical Sales at UCP. He graduated from Valparaiso University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and holds 17 years of experience in construction, engineering, and land development. Please contact Jed for a Lunch and Learn or meeting at your office to review the precast solutions offered by UCP.

Happy New Year!

As we embark upon a New Year, we would like to wish our customers, vendors, and partners a happy and prosperous 2017!