This project involved the reconstruction and widening of the Fox River Bridge in Elgin, IL.  Part of the Illinois Tollway’s “Move Illinois” program, it is the largest and most critical project on the I-90 corridor. Over the course of three construction stages from 2014 to 2016, the existing 15-span structure was removed and replaced with a wider 8-span structure. This $75M project accommodates over 100,000 daily vehicles with four lanes of traffic in each direction. Work performed within the Fox River and coordinated with USACE, IDNR, and IEPA, consisted of the construction of causeways and cofferdams. The seven proposed piers are constructed on top of drilled shafts socketed in bedrock.  New reinforced concrete abutments sit atop H-piling driven to refusal. The new bridge superstructure consists of a stainless steel reinforced concrete deck and 90” PPC Bulb T Beams with a maximum length of 168’-5”. To eliminate longitudinal deck joints, the PPC beams were erected using an innovative gantry system that allows beams to be set with no cranes and minimal impact to traffic. Soldier pile and conventional reinforced concrete retaining walls were constructed within each quadrant of the bridge to support the wider roadway.

Special attention was given to a sensitive environmental fen area on the east side of the bridge. After the new I-90 bridge was constructed, a 660 foot pedestrian bridge was erected below the structure so pedestrians can access each side of the river. Construction management duties for the project included, but were not limited to, the daily inspection and documentation of work performed by the Contractor(s), cost control management, construction schedule review and enforcement, quality assurance of materials installed, and review and approval of shop drawings submittals.

This project received an Honor Award and the Eminent Conceptor Award at the 2017 ACEC-Illinois Engineering Excellence Awards.