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| Manson News | |
AGC Names Thirteen Most Significant Projects of 2008 |
Mn/DOT awards I-35W bridge contract to Flatiron-Manson construction team Manson Construction Wins $4.03 Million Contract Skyway Construction Kiewit-FCI-Manson (KFM), a Joint Venture |
March 6, 2009 The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) named the nation's most significant construction projects Friday at the presentation of the Aon Build America Awards.The Minneapolis I-35W Bridge was recognized as the grand award winner due to Flatiron Construction and Manson Construction's demonstrated hard work and diligence in completing the project three months early, while overcoming difficult challenges and constraints under the watchful eye of the public and the media.Twelve other projects were recognized for their complexity, innovation, success and ultimately, for their significance to the construction community and the nation at large. Read more at this link. http://newsletters.agc.org/newsandviews/2009/03/06/agc-names-thirteen-most-significant-projects-of-2008 Reproduced with permission of AGC, March 18, 2009.
September 18, 2008 Steve Karnowski MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A stream of data will flow from hundreds of sensors on a new bridge Thursday morning when commuters on Interstate 35W drive across the Mississippi River for the first time since the old span collapsed more than a year ago. The purpose of the "smart bridge" technology isn't to warn of another impending disaster; it's to detect small problems before they become big ones, said Alan Phipps, design manager for the project with Figg Engineering Group Inc. of Tallahassee, Fla. "What these sensors are for, it's like going to your doctor for your health checkup," Phipps said. "It's to ensure you're maintained in top shape so you never get close to having a serious problem." The new bridge is due to open early Thursday when crews remove barricades that have stood since the old bridge collapsed Aug. 1, 2007, killing 13 people and injuring 145. State troopers will then lead a slow procession of motorists across the bridge in both directions to reopen a major artery that carried 140,000 trips a day. The $234 million bridge was completed on budget and more than three months ahead of the Dec. 24 deadline. That means the contractors — led by the team of Flatiron Construction Corp. of Longmont, Colo., and Manson Construction Co. of Seattle — should get a bonus close to the contract maximum of $27 million, though the actual amount hasn't been determined. There are also more visible differences between the new bridge and old. The new bridge is concrete instead of steel and is built with redundant systems so that if one part fails it won't collapse. The old bridge, finished in 1967, was called "fracture critical," which meant that a failure of any number of structural elements would bring down the entire bridge. Within the concrete of the new bridge are embedded 323 sensors that will generate a record of how it handles the stresses and strains of traffic and Minnesota's harsh climate. The data will help engineers maintain the bridge and advance the art of bridge design, Phipps said. The sensors will measure how the bridge handles loads and vibrations and how it expands and contracts as Minnesota alternates between frigid winters and steamy summers, as well as watch for corrosion from road salt. A system of sensors and cameras will feed data on traffic flow — including speeds, accidents, stalls and other disruptions — to a management center. Other sensors will activate an anti-icing system when necessary, and security sensors are meant to detect intruders into unauthorized areas, such as the hollow concrete box girders. The data will feed into computers in a control room near the bridge, Phipps said. From there, engineers at the Minnesota Department of Transportation and researchers at the University of Minnesota can download it for analysis. Catherine French, a civil engineering professor at the University of Minnesota, has worked with the developers of the system and will be among the researchers analyzing the data. The number of sensors on the bridge, and the fact that they were installed from the start, make this project stand out, she said. "It is kind of on the cutting edge," she said. The main value will be the insight the system provides for building future bridges. Engineers will be able to compare the bridge's behavior to models they've developed, she said. The National Transportation Safety Board has scheduled a hearing in November to discuss its investigation into what caused the old bridge to collapse. In January, NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker pointed to a design error in the plates that helped connect the bridge's steel beams as a "critical factor." The NTSB has also focused on the weight of construction materials that were on the bridge for a resurfacing project.
May 27, 2008 Minnesota Department of Transportation Crews began erecting the main span of the Interstate 35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge project this past weekend, according to Minnesota Department of Transportation. The first pair of pre-cast concrete main span segments was placed on Sunday, May 25. Placing the segments is a precise procedure involving hydraulic jacks and detailed surveying. Crews will wait several days before the next segment placement to allow time for a closure pour (between the main span segment and the approach span), concrete curing and post-tensioning work in preparation for the next segment placement.
October 9, 2007 Publication: ECM capitol reporter by T.W. Budig The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) awarded the I-35W bridge contract to the Flatiron-Manson construction team on Monday (Oct. 8). The awarding came the same day the Minnesota Department of Administration opined that no aspect of the design-build contract letting process used by Mn/DOT for the bridge had been arbitrary or capricious. The accepted Flatiron-Manson bridge bid was for $234 million — not the lowest bid submitted. Flatiron is based in Colorado. But other factors beyond price are weighed. Arches, water and reflection The primary theme of the Flatiron-Manson bridge design, unveiled on Monday, is arches, water and reflection. The new bridge will be built of high performance concrete with graceful, arching piers on the Mississippi River edge with an arch of lights reflecting onto the river from the bridge deck above. From river edge to river edge, the bridge will span 504 feet though its overall length will be about 1200 feet. Lead designer on project Linda Figg, president and director of Bridge Art for Figg Engineering of Florida said the downtown Minneapolis bridge site was “a very exciting site,” saying the new bridge design will enhance the modern and historic aspects of the river front. “It will be a model for other bridges in America,” she said. The public will be able to help determine some design features of the bridge — its color, the design possibilities of the its piers. Design session planned Oct. 22 A design session is expected to take place the week of Oct. 22 where local government officials, business leaders, and residents will be able to offer suggestions on the final appearance of the bridge. Some structural features of the bridge, besides the use of high performance concrete and design redundancies, will be the use of state-of-the-art sensor and monitoring system built into the bridge. “This will be a smart bridge,” said Figg. The bridge is designed so that at some future date a pedestrian bridge can be suspended beneath it. The construction schedule calls for the new bridge to completed by the end of 2008, with ribbon-cutting anticipated for Christmas Eve. “Our top priority is safety — both throughout construction and during the entire life of the bridge,” said Flatiron-Manson project manager Peter Sanderson. Bridge will mean 400 jobs Sanderson said the bridge project will translate into about 400 full-time jobs. An emphasis will be placed on the use of Minnesota materials and labor, he explained. Ground breaking on the project is planned for Oct. 15. Lt. Gov./Mn/DOT Commissioner Carol Molnau in a statement said the City of Minneapolis had signed off on the project and all of the partners are onboard. Molnau did not personally attend the Capitol press conference, Mn/DOT staff saying she had been called away on family matters. Flatiron is based in Longmont, Colo., and Manson Construction is out of Seattle, a company specializing in bridge and waterway construction.
April 12, 2006 Publication: US Fed News Service, Including US State News NEW ORLEANS, April 12 -- The U.S. Army has awarded a $4.03 million contract to Manson Construction Co., Seattle, for the construction of structures and facilities from the Mississippi River Baton Rouge to the Gulf of Mexico, Southwest Pass and Cubit's Gap, Plaquemines Parish, La. The contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Engineer District, New Orleans. For more information about US Fed News contract awards please contact: Myron Struck, Managing Editor/US Bureau, US Fed News, Direct: 703/866-4708, Cell: 703/304-1897, Myron@targetednews.com. For more information, contact Katrina Pelrean at 504/862-2880, or e-mail katrina.d.pelrean@mvn02.usace.army.mil.
Skyway Construction Kiewit-FCI-Manson (KFM), a Joint Venture The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Seismic Safety Projects The new East Span of the Bay Bridge will look and perform very differently from the original 1936 double-deck cantilever bridge. The new span will feature a unique single tower suspension bridge, connecting to a mile-long elevated viaduct, or Skyway. The parallel roadways of the new span will provide motorists with sweeping views of San Francisco Bay. Each deck will accommodate five lanes of traffic and include 10-foot-wide shoulders to help keep traffic moving. The Skyway has massive pilings reaching deep into bay soils and seismic safety devices that will enable the road decks to move, rather than buckle, in the event of an earthquake. Some elements of the span have been specifically designed to deform during an earthquake in order to protect the most important parts of the bridge’s structure. Several critical bridge elements were tested in the design phase to assess their viability in the event of a major earthquake, and mock-ups were built to determine their construction feasibility. The Skyway’s decks are comprised of 452 pre-cast concrete segments, fabricated in Stockton and transported by barge to the project site. These are the largest segments of their kind ever cast. They are lifted into place by winches, which were custom-made for this project. |
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