PDG provided Construction Engineering Services for the Sister Cities Bridge

PDG had the wonderful opportunity to work with CP Ward on Phase 1 of the Charles Carrol Plaza Revitalization Project located in Downtown Rochester, NY. PDG provided construction engineering support to CP Ward for the rehabilitation of the Sister Cities Bridge over the Genesee River. This work included construction live load analysis to allow the contractor to access the site over the top of an underground parking garage, structural lifting of the existing concrete girder over the Genesee River, value engineering of the foundations for the new concrete pier, and structural erection for the new fly over span.

The construction load limitation for the site was only 100 psf. PDG worked with CP Ward to find equipment light enough to be on the site but still have the capacity to complete the work.

The structural lifting required one end of the existing concrete girder to be lifted over 4 ft vertically. Accommodations in the lifting system were made to allow for the large rotations at the girder, while also providing a tower lifting system supported on helical piles to bedrock that navigated through the an existing RGE electrical duct bank and eliminated soil pressures to the nearby parking garage and river wall.

The value engineering of the pier foundation eliminated the need for hand digging to bedrock due to the construction equipment size limitations posed at the site.

The structural erection of the new flyover bridge imposed both load restrictions and geometric constraints for the placement of the new steel girders. Although the girder sections were light enough to place with a large excavator or tele handler, the construction load limitations of the site prohibited this method of placement. The proximity of the underground parking garage, the Federal Building, and a multi-story hotel placed geometric constraints for installation with a crane. Ultimately, a 250 ton crane was utilized to place the girder sections. The crane was delicately placed in the hotel parking lot between all of the buildings to facilitate the girder erection.

These photos are of the different operations PDG provided construction engineering services for.