Project Overview
Time was of the essence for this project to build a new pedestrian bridge that could safely carry people from a parking garage to the hospital at Loma Linda University in California. The owners did not want to disrupt traffic any more than was necessary on the busy campus, so they went with a precast concrete solution. By choosing a precast concrete, the contractors were able to limit closure of the street to just one day on order to place the new 8 ft (2.4 m) wide pedestrian walkway—emblazoned with the words “Loma Linda University Health”—over Campus Street, which serves as the entrance to the Loma Linda hospital emergency room.
Precast Solution
The bridge features a series of precast concrete pieces, including 26 precast concrete bridge panels and two 187,900 pounds (835.8 kN) prestressed bridge girders to complete the 120 feet (37 m) long bridge. In addition, each girder had 30 posttensioned cables. Delivery of the completed precast concrete pieces was within 30 business days of the signed approved shop drawings, and installation of the precast concrete bridge girders and panels took just one day.
Had the owner chosen a cast-in-place concrete solution, the project would likely have disrupted traffic for more than two months, and it would have been far more costly, the precast concrete producer reports. Instead, thanks to the creative use of precast concrete, there was minimal impact to patients and hospital staff; there was virtually no down time among the onsite labor; and it increased the safety of everyone in and around the construction area. |