NJDOT's
Lettiere announces first HYPERBUILD project to begin on the Route
1 Olden Avenue Bridge
connector in Trenton
Project
will save the state 22 months and $2.25 million
in time and savings
(Ewing)
- New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Commissioner
Jack Lettiere held a press briefing today at Department Headquarters
to unveil the Department's plans for the upcoming HYPERBUILD project
to replace the existing superstructure and three bridge decks
on the Route 1 Freeway Olden Avenue connector and at Mulberry
Street in Trenton.
This
project will be the first of its kind in New Jersey and will serve
as a demonstration of the HYPERBUILD initiative in action. The HYPERBUILD initiative is designed to shave years off of road
construction projects and save hundreds of millions of dollars
in construction, design, and road user costs. At the programs
announcement in March, Commissioner Lettiere selected 14 projects
to serve as the initial HYPERBUILD projects, and the Route 1 Olden
Avenue Bridge project will be the first to go to construction.
The HYPERBUILD
program offers a unique set of advantages by saving taxpayer money
and state resources, and allowing for the completion of much-needed
construction without the ordinary hassle to commuters and motorists
that often accompanies road projects," Lettiere said. "HYPERBUILD projects will be as noteworthy for their efficiency
as for their near-invisibility."
A
project of this magnitude would typically have taken the Department
approximately 2 years to design as a traditional deck replacement
and bridge rehabilitation project. However, applying the
HYPERBUILD initiative to construction will allow for the replacement
of all three bridge decks and superstructure beams with almost
no inconvenience to workday motorists as the bridges will be replaced
over three weekend periods over a three month span. This
will save more than 22 months while providing a more efficient
construction scenario that will reduce motorist impacts by 9 months.
The
new bridge decks will be made off site at a factory and installed
by the contractor, Neshaminy Construction, over three weekends.
The tentative date to replace the Route 1 Olden Avenue Bridge
is the weekend of August 26 th 2005, Route 1 southbound Mulberry
Street is to be replaced on the weekend of September 23, 2005
and northbound is scheduled to be replaced on the weekend
of October 14, 2005.
A
readily available and convenient detour route will be used during
weekends. Site preparation work will be done before installation
of the prefabricated bridge decks.
