Sharp Curves

by David N. Deleeuw, P.E., Proj. Mgr.; Michael Baker, Jr., Inc., Jackson, MS,
John B. Pickering, P.E., Roadway Design Engr.; Mississippi Dept. of Transp., Jackson, MS,
Harry Lee James, P.E., Bridge Engr.; Mississippi Dept. of Transp., Jackson, MS,


Serial Information: Civil Engineering—ASCE, 2001, Vol. 71, Issue 7, Pg. 68-73


Document Type: Feature article

Abstract:

In Madison, Mississippi, just north of Jackson on Interstate 55, a diamond interchange with State Route 463 has become a bottleneck for commuters and local motorists. But the typical solution�a cloverleaf interchange�would have taken more space than was available. The solution is a single-point urban interchange (SPUI) that resembles a bow-tie shape and incorporates what may be the most tightly curved girders anywhere. The girders are designed as steel boxes to resist twisting, and they are tapered from a width of 262.5 ft (80 m) at the abutments to 164 ft (50 m) at the center of the bridge. Ten curved girders were required, five on either side of straight center beams, with progressively sharper curves toward the outside of the bridge. The six interior box girders�three pairs in the middle of the bridge�are designed with double bearing devices to resist uplift forces.

Subject Headings: Girder bridges | Bridge design | Steel bridges | Interchanges | Curved beams | Curvature | Bridge abutments

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