The Leaning Towers of Wilmington, Delaware: Emergency Response and Retrofit of the I-495 Viaduct to Address Lateral Squeeze

by Paul H. Moffitt, P.E., (M.ASCE), Senior Geotechnical Engineer; AECOM, Mechanicsburg, PA, Paul.Moffitt@aecom.com,
Bruce A. Shelly, P.E., (M.ASCE), Regional Geotechnical Manager; AECOM, Conshohocken, PA, Bruce.Shelly@aecom.com,


Serial Information: Geo-Strata —Geo Institute of ASCE, 2015, Vol. 19, Issue 5, Pg. 50-55


Document Type: Feature article

Abstract:

On a sunny, summer afternoon last June, the project manager for AECOM's open-end bridge design contract with the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) received an urgent call from DelDOT's assistant chief bridge engineer. He learned that during a recent field visit to the banks of the Christina River in Wilmington, DE, a local geotechnical consultant had observed that a few of the 60-ft-high concrete columns that support the bridge carrying I-495 over the Christina River were tilting towards the east and obviously out of plumb.

Subject Headings: Bridge towers | Bridge design | River bank stabilization | Consulting services | Bridge engineering | Viaducts | Rehabilitation | Delaware | United States

 

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