Client
Illinois State Toll Highway Authority
Location
Elgin, Illinois
Scope of Work
Bridge Reconstruction
Project Team
Keith Sargent, PE, PMP
Resident Engineer
Jeff Klein
Assistant Resident Engineer
John Gatses
Field Manager
Kent Williams
Resident Technician
Liam Pozdol, EI
Construction Engineer
Nick Lorusso
Construction Engineer
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.
At the 2017 ACEC-Illinois Engineering Excellence Awards in Lisle, TEG received an “Honor Award” and the “Eminent Conceptor Award” for this project. Honor Awards are given for those projects which are recognized for exceptional engineering that meet the needs of the client and benefit the public welfare. The highest award given, the Eminent Conceptor Award – chosen from the Honor Award recipients – recognizes an engineering achievement which demonstrates a high degree of merit and ingenuity, contributes to the advancement of the private practice of engineering, and enhances the economic and social welfare of the general public.
This award was achieved with the Illinois Tollway (Owner), Stanley Consultants (Phase 2 Designer), and Chastain & Associates (Construction Manager Joint Venture Partner with TEG). The project was constructed by the Kenny-Kraemer Joint Venture (Kenny Construction and Kraemer North America).
TEG Construction Management staff contributing to this award include Keith Sargent, Jeff Klein, John Gatses, Kent Williams, and Liam Pozdol. Other key contributors to this award include Mike Wicks and Larry Hatton (Tollway Project Managers), Rob Koss and Scott Eshleman (Stanley Consultants), and Dan Jedrzejak and Greg Jurewicz (Chastain & Associates). Construction Management support consisted of Tecma Associates, 2IM Group, Ciorba Group, Ghandi & Associates, and Material Solutions Laboratory.
Resident Engineer, Keith Sargent, P.E., PMP, presenting about the success of this project ("Traffic Needs Drive Innovative Bridge Solutions") at the 103rd Annual Illinois Transportation and Highway Engineering Conference hosted at the Illini Union in Urbana-Champaign.