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 concrete bid was $76.8 million. the decision came to replace it with a high-level bridge. Though some have speculated that the bridge was glued together, theyre not entirely far off. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. The Saginaw News article also details an instance where Michigan State Police raised the bridge to stop a fleeing criminal on I-75. My concern is (if) there are other examples out there of marked drawings that are incomplete. The Zilwaukee Bridge has some impressive specifications. The first two of those still serve this route across the current Zilwaukee Bridge today, but U.S. 10 was scaled back to end west of Bay City at around the same time that this bridge was replaced with that one. Cables in the bridge run through galvanized steel ducts that have been 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. The two new segments then are stressed to the Today, there are more than 70 segmental bridges either completed or under Work started in 1979 and was supposed to finish in 1983. The entire segment instantly sank five feet lower than the section they were attempting to attach it to. Saturday, August 20th 2022 Crashes impacting NB and SB 75 on the Zilwaukee Bridge. The ships captain suffered minor injuries. The immediate response to the accident was to halt construction and investigate the extent of the damage. construction accident halted all work in August 1982. Located in Zilwaukee, in Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan, the Zilwaukee Bridge is one of the most spectacular bridges in the world. Construction crews began work on a major renovation project on the Zilwaukee Bridge this week. and one set outside were specially tailored to cast the 1,592 segments TIL of Zilwaukee, a town in northern Michigan. Or are you better off taking a different route? Now that is amazing. If you can imagine driving Up North, buckled up with the family, very excited to get away from the city and suburbs -- and boom -- the draw bridge is open for a passing freighter along the Saginaw River, and traffic is backed up for miles and miles and miles. The original of steel cable, and each strand is formed by seven wires about one-eighth Department of Transportation, Zilwaukee Bridge: cast into each segment. accident, what caused it and what was done to remedy the situation can The bridge operator continued to staff the bridge until it was The incident added many years to the projected completion of the new bridge. It was only 150 feet wide and several ships ended up clipping the bridge, causing damage and even more traffic issues. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. 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. stronger than that usually specified by MDOT for bridge decks. Construction efforts hit a major setback in August 1982, when, among other, less-significant causes, mispositioned weight crushed a temporary block placed in an expansion joint. The deck itself was able to be aligned back into place and the pier underneath was then heavily reinforced. The original completion date for the Zilwaukee Bridge was November 1983. The southbound side of the bridge would open to traffic the following fall in 1988, according to Michigan Highways. Today, the Zilwaukee Bridge is the major artery connecting the north of Michigan to Detroit. The device is 940 feet long and can easily bridge across the longest However, let's step back in time to the genesis of the crossing In fact, in 1979, the traffic jam was a whopping 56 miles long. But in the 1980s, the Zilwaukee Bridge controversially turned into Michigans most expensive. The setback took two years and $6 million more unbudgeted dollars. where they are to be erected. site. In the 1980's, Toebe completed a number of large . That report has been reproduced Thus, the new bridge is act as a continuous bridge. The towns population, as of 2010, was about 1,600. The weight of the launching girder, combined with the truck carrying a 2/24/2018 Aleana W. It's a iconic MI bridge. In April 2008, a scheduled $3.3-million construction project to replace bridge bearingsdesigned to support up to 8,000,000 pounds eachwhich allow the bridge to move as much as a foot hit a snag. According to a story The repair work added $500,000 to the $3.8 million project and postponed the bearing replacement project to 2012. The solution was ingenious: pipes filled with refrigerant were inserted into the bedrock and then frozen to create a firm foundation for the bridge. [Image: The bridge takes shape. The mayor said he also is concerned about emergency responders having easy access to the city. After the termination of the original contract, the state found a new contractor to continue work. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. They weigh between There were discussions about abandoning the project completely. Back to: Section 2: Background News never stops. It is the cables that hold all the segments in compression. It tried to drop an anchor, but it was too late -- the ship slammed into the southbound bridge. It caused serious damage. The total launching girder apparatus weighs While the Zilwaukee Bridge is a bit shorter than the Mackinac Bridge, it is much wider. 91.3 Port Huron 89.7 Lansing 91.1 Flint. Bridge in Zilwaukee and Zilwaukee Township, Michigan, "Z-Bridge screw up remains under investigation", "$70M construction project planned for Zilwaukee Bridge in April", "In the Field Report - "The Zilwaukee Bridge project", "Why Bridges Have Failed Throughout History", "The Z-Bridge: The Turbulent History Behind Michigan's Zilwaukee Bridge", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zilwaukee_Bridge&oldid=1120452718, Buildings and structures in Saginaw County, Michigan, Transportation in Saginaw County, Michigan, Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System, Short description is different from Wikidata, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 7 November 2022, at 02:38. It needs to hold up about another 50 to 60 years considering it could take roughly $1 billion to replace it. back end and drives directly off. The agency's Bay Region spokeswoman Anita Richardson said MDOT will follow the recommendations of an independent report on the mishap to make sure construction mistakes dont occur in the future on the Zilwaukee Bridge or on other Bay Region road work. traffic. A Saginaw News article reported in 1954 that some German immigrants who would come through New York City would sign agreements to work in Zilwaukee, thinking they were heading to Milwaukee. The so-called balanced cantilever construction went way out of balance. The resulting fiasco was the worst in Michigan's transit history. About 15 years after it opened, plans to replace it with a high-level bridge would start gaining steam, according to Michigan Highways. Many Michigan seniors, like Tom Fleisher of West Bloomfield, remember the signs warning people. Technology for ost-tensioned, segmental, box girder bridges was developed Later during construction of new on- and off-ramps in the M-13 interchange on the bridge approach, workers uncovered an uncharted landfill containing PCB-contaminated waste, necessitating an environmental cleanup. time it opened for river traffic. were routed over the bridge for the first time on Wednesday, December 23, 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. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a.high level bridge carrying I-75 [and US-23] over the Saginaw River at Zilwaukee. The Zilwaukee Bridge wasnt the only option pitched when thinking about how to stop the traffic jams. In this installment, MDOT. In 1975, transit officials decided to build a high-level bridge over the river. 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 bridge carries the I-75 / US 23 road. 1987a nice Christmas present, four years after the bridge was to be 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. Department of Transportation. The dramatic failure of the Zilwaukee Bridge was successfully repaired by the State of Michigan in 1983. Boat traffic was also backed up on the river, as shipping traffic quadrupled in the years after the bridge opened. The work was completed in 2015 and was expected extend the life of the bridge until 2087. Many of the original stainless steel and teflon bearings have been replaced with a plastic material. These bearings do require extensive maintenance and replacement, as they see more wear and tear than typical construction elements might. Its purpose, though, was largely as a seal to keep out water and roadway contaminants. This story is a bit of legend, but its mostly accepted by local historians. Its a lot of extra time and miles for my truck because were right off I-75, he said. is spread on both matching faces before they are brought together. 23 chapters | group to create a solid unit, six segments long. Each one was closely inspected by a specially A truck hauled the segments up one by one on a double-side trailer that allowed the truck to circle around after dropping the load and hitch back up on the other side. They look like this: According to Michigan Highways, MDOT engineer Matthew Chynoweth says the bearings for the Zilwaukee Bridge are getting worn out. A recent, major update in 2013 through 2015 replaced the original bearing pads at piers and expansion joints., which had a lifespan of around 25 years, Brunner said. 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. Read about the Zilwaukee Bridge collapse in 1982 and its reconstruction. The original bid for the project was $76.8 million. MDOT Bay City Transportation Service Center Manager Gregg Brunner said 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. fabrication of the segments. project later in the decade. The grout cures to become However, the size of interstate traffic was simply not appropriate for a small citynor did many drivers want to slow down on their way north to rural areas or south to Detroit. Add onto that the fact that the drawbridge span was pretty narrow, resulting in several ships running into the bridge and getting stuck, and it became pretty obvious that a new bridge was needed. The expectation was that adding this additional crossing would give vehicles more options and more direct routes, breaking up the traffic along the growing interstate. of high-strength reinforced concrete segments held together by thousands A 1960 article in the Lansing State Journal reported about a German-registry lake freighter, carrying 4,300 tons of scrap steel, slamming into the draw bridge after the bridge was jammed in the open position. But the $3.3 million project hit some road blocks in March, forcing motorists to steer around the bridge for at least another two months. ZILWAUKEE State Sen. Roger N. Kahn has urged the Michigan Department of Transportation to enact new, clear procedures to avoid the use of outdated blueprints that could lead to construction mishaps across the state. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Annotated Aerial Image, I-75 and Zilwaukee Bridge Improvements: Construction and Motorist Information, Photography I was not able to get a photograph of the bridge as as. It was a lime-stone hauler from Buffalo. There were engineering calculations done that said this needs to be here and this load needs to be here and this counterweight needs to be here6 and it simply was not followed, former MDOT Chief Bridge Engineer Matt Chynoweth said. And it wasnt just the cars that suffered. (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. On precast segmental bridges, the concrete segments must be delivered Because it would be virtually impossible Rated 5 / 5. Segments I-675 was built, in part, to help traffic bypass the original drawbridge while the current high-level Zilwaukee Bridge was being proposed and constructed, in addition to providing better access into and through downtown Saginaw. On Saturday, the bridge has three southbound lanes, while northbound traffic. The State Journal story from Nov. 11, 1960. Neither do we. While the most obvious 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. earlier two-lane highway of Saginaw was incorporated into the new Interstate It may not have been the easiest transition, but growing pains are often parts of getting bigger. I am requesting a rigorous examination of the lane traffic and am seeking alternative plans that might help keep two-way traffic open during the construction process.. polychorinated biphenyl will cost at least $100,000 and could delay completion By 1975, the state of Michigan was already planning out a replacement bridge to cross the Saginaw River. Related: The story of Metro Detroits Cold War nuclear missile defense system: The original homeland security. Michigan Highways > In Depth: The Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning. Authorities chose the lower-cost option. In 1979, construction on the elevated Zilwaukee Bridge, which accommodates both boat and vehicle traffic, began. Aerial map of Zilwaukee Bridges by Chris Bessert/Michigan Highways. One end of the 300-foot span supported by that pillar sagged five feet, while the other end was lifted 3 feet into the air. 23/U.S. In 1960, the new route opened -- and the Zilwaukee Bridge was born. A Saginaw News article from 1967 details another freighters crash into the bridge, causing traffic to be re-routed for a few days. While the need for a replacement of the original structure became acute soon after it was completed,[3] the construction of the current structure was also plagued with difficulties. more than six times as much as a fully-loaded standard 18-wheel, 40-ton as well. It stands on its own steel legs The previous drawbridge was the only location at which the I-75 stopped between Florida and Michigan. The 1982 accident completely stopped construction. The Zilwaukee Bridge along Interstate 75 over the Saginaw River. To make sure the its integrity would not be compromised, crews installed steel reinforcement on the bridge's exterior. other ideas had been batted around, including a tunnel under the river The Z-Bridge, as it has come to be called, has a rich and, at times, dangerous history, but its without a doubt one of the best-known bridges in Michigan. What we learned from the Z-Bridge makes sense to apply, especially on those bridges, he said. Several ideas were proposed, including tunneling under the river, but eventually they decided on a box-and-girder, concrete segmental bridge that would simply be elevated high enough for ships to pass underneath. of the unfinished ramps crossed a buried landfill contaminated with PCBs. Some believe this Michigan bridge marks the start of Up North. While no Saginaw River crossing seems to have been For example, consider drawbridges. feet in length to the huge I-205 Freeway Bridge, spanning the Columbia The tilting also damaged the pier footing beneath it. designed machines made for that particular project. 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. in the first place. Heres an aerial map that shows the location of the draw bridge vs. the new bridge: Construction on the new structure, projected to cost about $77 million without ramps and approaches, started in late 1979. This important artery allows traffic to move through the area without. Instead, a chemical compound called calcium magnesium acetate is used as an alternative. segments is then pulled together with high-strength steel cables, also The bridge was built segment by segment, working from one end of the river toward the other side. Repairs totaled $6.8 million. It didnt really work, and Zilwaukee did not turn into Milwaukee. The bridge design called for expansion joints that would enable the bridge to expand and contract as the temperature rose and fell. originally and prevents water seepage. Construction began in 1979 with an expected completion date three years later, but the bridge was not available for traffic for nine years. Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning. Six steps were required to bring the tilted 300-foot deck section back to its intened position. and reconstructing the newly-completed I-675 loop The situation with old plans has been around for years, he said. and then locked in place with tapered steel wedges, a process called post-tensioning. The project ran from April 2013 through 2015. It was actually a four-lane draw bridge and a freeway beginning at the northern end of the. More. The freighter was fine but the bridge suffered substantial damage. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a massive segmental concrete bridge that carries the I-75 over the Saginaw River in Michigan. en.wikipedia.org. on this website in its entirety for informational purposes and can be Traffic shifted between I-75/US-23 and I-675 twice weekly to ensure three lanes were open in the direction of peak travel. The Zilwaukee Bridge has a mile-long box underneath the entire span so maintenance workers can keep an eye on how its holding up. 120 and 160 tons. Our concern is if they shut it down for one year in each way, it could have a major impact, Jolin said. The total cost of the bridge project was around $127 million, with the federal funds paying for 90 percent of it, according to MDOT records. Bridge Construction Engineering. In the early-1950s, the Michigan State Highway Department constructed a The bridge also features a massive tie-down block that spans 57 x 46 x 5-1/2 feet and weighs about 1,100 tons. 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. And thanks to Chris Bessert for compiling all of this great historical information. They range from a few hundred mate on the structure, a process called "match-casting." David J. Herber, L & B Cartage vice president, said bridge lane closures have cost the drivers of the companys 43 vehicles time and money. As the interstate highway system brought increased traffic to the area, a drawbridge was built in 1960. two spans of the bridge simultaneously. The four-lane, bascule bridge (or drawbridge) opened in 1960. In 2008, a $3.3 million construction project to replace bridge bearings hit a snag. The main strength of the bridge comes from its 4,000 miles of steel tension cables hidden away in the concrete. By the end of the next year, the original 1953 US-23 bypass Do you know anyspectacular road?Click here to send us all the info, and we'll publish it! problems concerned the massive traffic tie-ups on the freeway each time Periodically flooded roads around the world. In May of 1987, the Michigan To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. But in August of 1982, after more than half the bridge had taken shape disaster struck. bascule bridge was permanently closed on that datebut only to automobile http://media.mlive.com/saginawnews_impact/photo/zilwaukee-bridge-bbec235072ccfec4.jpg. 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. To ease the commute along this route, a bridge was constructed over the Saginaw River. 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. Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning, The Zilwaukee Bridge. Instead, a chemical compound called calcium magnesium acetate is used as an alternative. Sunshine Skyway Bridge at Tampa, Fla., opened in 1987. The original Zilwaukee Bridge ended up causing more traffic than it eased, due to the fact that commuters in both directions had to stop whenever the drawbridge opened. The history of the Zilwaukee Bridge is one of adaptation over time, as the little town of Zilwaukee started to grow. are installed. For five years, it has routinely stored blueprints electronically, he Share YOUR roads!We'vemorethan 13.000 roads but we want more! Here's a copy of letters this week from an MDOT engineer to Kahn and from Kahn to MDOT's director about the Zilwaukee Bridge construction mishap. 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. Traffic was shut down for about six months, before reopening in October of 2008. with many steel cables to form the decks.]. The compound gets rid of the ice without any worry of corrosion to the bridge. directly on the bridge superstructure. 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 the bridge did not resume until late 1984 under a new contract with being completed at either end of the new bridge, it was discovered one Bridge "bearings" are pads under the bridge deck that transfer loads to the piers while allowing for some movement. 195 lessons. Workers then epoxy the segments together and run them through with steel tension wires. Kahn also expressed concern about future lane closures on the bridge. On Tuesday, September 22, 1987 the final 117-ton piece The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Idahosa noted that aside helping to reduce to the barest minimum the number of deaths at that portion of the highway, construction of a pedestrian bridge there would also help reduce the number of . Why is the Zilwaukee Bridge so tall? Chynoweth noted the new bearings would double the Zilwaukee Bridge's lifespan to a now-predicted 100 years, or through 2087. At Zilwaukee, these jobs are accomplished by two specially The hauler, based in Zilwaukee, transports auto parts and agriculture products. There have been some issues with ongoing maintenance projects through the years. Engineers said even after 35 years, its holding up well. to meet back up with US-23 (present-day M-13) Bridge Report Aerial Imagery Additional girder. The website is for information purposes only and we assume no liability for decisions made as a result of the information provided here. He enjoys suffering through Lions games on Sundays in the fall. Todays Zilwaukee Bridge can be traced back to the 1950s, and the original two-lane highway bypass on the east side of Saginaw, which according to Michigan Highways was completed in 1953. This technology has gained rapid acceptance and has spread to other countries. in 1953. This archive footage shows construction at Michigan's Zilwaukee Bridge in 1982 and its official opening in 1987. it joins. With fuel prices the way they are, every mile extra hurts.. Many have been This balanced group of four At Zilwaukee, Zilwaukee Bridge: From the Beginning, Michigan 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. 10. 23/U.S. girder picks up the segments from the truck and delivers them to the location Information. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 7/1/2022). He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters. Concrete stringer bridge over Saginaw River on Interstate 75/U.S. This helps to ensure that the bridge could withstand about twice as much weight as is predicted during peak traffic hours. the bridge opened, it also caused problems for traffic on the Saginaw River On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Moving the old bridge will save more than $1 million, they figure.". It has 1592 concrete segments that weigh about 160 tons. to the bridge and held in place while the epoxy is applied and the cables The building and opening of the Zilwaukee Bridge: Yet, five years later than expected, on Dec. 23, 1987, the first vehicles crossed the northbound side. Originally anticipated to last a few weeks, the project instead stretched more than six months when construction workers from Midwest Bridge Company of Williamston drilled into one of the bridge's steel tensioning rods. before being installed. All rights reserved (About Us). in an MDOT-produced publication from the early-1990s: The removed so that river traffic would not be impeded. In August of 1982, just one year before the bridge was supposed to be completed, one of the temporary compression blocks failed and collapsed. Were talking about, of course, the Zilwaukee Bridge. This high-level, segmental concrete bridge spanning the Saginaw River is said to be the perfect example on how not to build a bridge. 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. We are working to learn more information. The bridge has twin decks built of a series of high-strength reinforced concrete segments held together by thousands of firmly tensioned steel cables. Many more steel tendons are stressed at this time to make the two spans Chris has a master's degree in history and teaches at the University of Northern Colorado. He has a BA in Philosophy from UC Santa Barbara, and an MA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from CEVRO Institute, Prague, Czech Republic. The Zilwaukee Bridge is a high-level, segmental concrete bridge spanning the Saginaw River in the U.S. state of Michigan. Each cable is stretched with hydraulic jacks, stressed to nearly 200 tons, a major concern with the public at the time. The origin of today's Zilwaukee Bridge can be traced back to the original onto the bridge, unhooks from the front end of the trailer, hooks to the (You can read a lot more about the construction issue here). While that may not sound like a lot, it's a big deal when talking about tons and tons of concrete and steel. Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. SAGINAW, Mich. - Friday marks 35 years since the Michigan Department of Transportation opened the Zilwaukee Bridge. inch in diameter. 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