Building a freeway bridge in one week, maybe even overnight — that's the kind of thing that transportation engineers dream about.
And while the Utah Department of Transportation and the latest technology are not quite ready to meet that challenge, they are poised to build two replacement bridges in record time.
The Utah Transportation Commission on Friday approved a $1.3 million budget increase so UDOT can rebuild a pair of I-215 bridges — above 3760 South and 3900 South — using a new, faster method.
"We're trying to identify ways to build structures faster so that traffic is less impacted," said Randy Park, director of UDOT's Region 2, which serves Salt Lake, Tooele and Summit counties.
"What we're going to do is pre-cast a lot of this stuff at the site and then we're going to give the contractor 70 days to go in there and build totally new bridges. All the concrete will be cast and all they've got to do is pick it up with cranes. It will be like Leggos."
The commission voted unanimously to approve the additional funding, bringing the total cost of the two replacement bridges to $5.75 million.
"Even though the cost may be more this time, there's a lot of opportunity in the future to save money and save time," Park said after the meeting.
The pre-cast construction method will allow UDOT to minimize the impacts to motorists, although there will be occasional ramp restrictions (at the 3500 South interchange) and nighttime closures in August and September.
"It's been done significantly in New York state," Park said. "It's the first time this has ever happened in Utah."
The bridges are simply old and in need of replacement due to wear and tear, he said.
The structure at 3760 will be completely replaced. The bridge at 3900 South will have only its deck replaced, but the pre-cast method will be used to speed up that work.
Also Friday, the commission approved a $6 million budget increase for the next construction segment on U.S. 189 in Provo Canyon.
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