Kie-Con Inc., a manufacturer of precast/prestressed products headquartered in Antioch, California, has broken a California record. The company manufactured the state’s largest-ever precast super girders at 160 ft long and 78 in. tall. The girders were used to replace and widen the Porter Creek Road Bridge in Santa Rosa, California. They are, to-date, the longest, non-spliced precast girders installed in the state.
Initially, the project design called for cast-in-place, but an approved engineering proposal conducted by Kie-Con determined the size of the girders could be fabricated using precast. The quick decision made by the general contractor, Gordon N. Ball Inc., owner, Sonoma County, and engineer, Mark Thomas & Co. Inc., to approve the proposal was the key to the project’s success. The use of precast has significantly reduced the contractor’s field schedule and eliminated damaging the creek, which is considered by the community a sensitive environment and habitat.
Transporting the girders proved to be the only challenge. The trip from the plant to the job site was 107 miles total and included traveling on seven major freeways, numerous on-and-off ramps and treacherous terrain during the last 20 miles. Four girders have already been transported from the plant and installed successfully using two cranes at the job site. The remaining three girders will be installed starting October 15.
To see more photos, visit Kie-Con’s flickr site.
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