SITUATION
According to the Ohio River Bridges Project website , the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project was designed to improve safety, alleviate traffic, connect highways and create economic development. The project included building two bridges, the Downtown Crossing and the East End Crossing, and the highways for each bridge. In addition, the Downtown Crossing included improvements to the existing Kennedy Bridge and a redesign of downtown interchanges.
A design-build team headed by Walsh Construction Co. of Chicago was awarded the job for building the Downtown Crossing and construction began in 2013. WVB East End Partners was awarded the job of constructing the East End Crossing and initial tunnel construction began in 2011.
SOLUTION
The Charah Solutions MultiSource® materials network is unique distribution system of multiple sourcing locations across the country, which ensures a steady and reliable supply of Class C and Class F fly ash for ready-mix concrete producers and other Charah Solutions customers. The MultiSource materials network not only provides the ash in markets where it is needed, it also mitigates the need to landfill the fly ash that could otherwise be used by builders.
Charah Solutions provided DOT-approved Class F fly ash from the LG&E/KU Mill Creek Generation Station to subcontractors Advance Ready Mix and IMI, supplying ready-mix concrete for both bridges and both Kentucky-side approaches. Concrete producers demand the quality and availability that fly ash brings to every project, with all the advantages of added strength, durability, increased workability and improved finish product quality.
RESULTS
The Downtown Crossing (Abraham Lincoln Bridge) and East End Crossing (Lewis and Clark Bridge) reached substantial completion in late 2016 and used over 250,000 cubic yards of concrete in construction. Over the next three decades, the bridges are expected to bring $86.7 billion worth of economic impact to the region.
The new East End Crossing spans 8.5 miles in total with 2,500 in total length of the main span across the Ohio River. The project includes 26,160 cubic yards of concrete for the tunnel and 180,000 square yards of concrete pavement for the roadways on the Kentucky side as well as 24,000 cubic yards of structural concrete.
The new Lincoln Bridge is more than 2,100 feet in length and includes 50,000 cubic yards of concrete. Improvements to the Kennedy Bridge’s new deck includes an additional 5,700 cubic yards of concrete.
MultiSource® is a trademark of Charah, LLC in the United States