US 176 REPLACEMENT BRIDGE OVER BROAD RIVER
Richland County, South Carolina
During the first phase of construction for SCDOT’s $25.5 million, ten-span, 1,126-foot long bridge on US 176 over the Broad River and Columbia Canal, the contractor believed they encountered rock that was harder than indicated in the project documents. To quantify the compressive strength of rock at the project site, FME prepared and tested rock samples recovered from the drilled shaft rock sockets in our AASHTO-accredited laboratory in accordance with ASTM standards.
Next, as part of a value engineering effort, FME performed a subsurface exploration and laboratory testing, and developed interior bent foundation recommendations for the second phase substructure. FME’s work resulted in reduced lengths for rock sockets and drilled shafts, allowing the contractor to complete the second phase of construction in a reduced amount of time and below their original budget. The final value engineering design saved the contractor and SCDOT more than $2 million. FME also performed geotechnical inspections during drilled shaft installation to verify the top of rock elevation relative to design scour elevations and anticipated top of rock elevations.
Additionally, FME performed a precondition structure assessment on nearby structures that could be impacted by earthborn vibrations created during construction. During demolition of the existing bridge and pile driving and drilled shaft installation, FME conducted vibration and crack monitoring. FME also performed construction materials testing of embankment fill materials our materials laboratory.
PROJECT OWNER
South Carolina Department of Transportation
PROJECT COST
$25.5 million
SERVICES PROVIDED
- Value Engineering
- Subsurface Exploration
- Materials Laboratory Testing
- Foundation Analysis and Design
- Construction Inspection and Testing
- Materials Laboratory Testing
- Vibration and Crack Monitoring
