Alexander Hamilton Bridge
FACTS
2013 Top 10 Bridges Award by Roads & Bridges Magazine
2013 Excellence in Partnering Award for Formal Partnering by the Associated General Contractors of New York State
2013 Construction Achievement Project of the Year Award by the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Metropolitan Section
Cover story in Engineering News-Record’s Feb. 4, 2013, issue
KEYWORDS: Bridge General Contracting Heavy Construction Infrastructure New York Transportation
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The Alexander Hamilton Bridge (AHB) came into service in 1963 as a major artery in New York City and the American northeast. It carries eight lanes of traffic on Interstate 95 between Manhattan and the Bronx with six bridge ramps from Interstate 87 and two bridges carrying local traffic.
The project was the largest contract from the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) at the time of award. The work consists of rehabilitating and widening a 550-foot-long steel arch main bridge that crosses the Harlem River, eight associated ramps and the interchange bridge sections of I-95 and I-87. CCA, as the lead joint-venture partner for this project, is responsible for structural steel work, reinforcing and modifying support piers and foundations, electrical work, installation of new drainage and overhead sign structures, etc..
Because of the heavy traffic volume (approximately 300,000 vehicles per day), designing the temporary ramps was a great challenge. To minimize the impact on the traveling public and surrounding communities, CCA used a shoring system that only needed a single steel column collar connecting to the existing bridge pier. This design significantly reduced the cost to NYSDOT and the public. The system also made erecting and removing the temporary bridge more efficient and enabled CCA to complete Stages 4 and 5 more than 35 days ahead of schedule.