Green Valley Road OC
The longest single piece precast prestressed concrete bridge girders manufactured in California were installed during a warm August 2015 night for the construction of the Green Valley Road Overcrossing structure in Cordelia, California. The girder shape chosen during type selection for this bridge was the relatively new California Wide Flange which was adopted by Caltrans as a standard section in 2012. For the Green Valley Road structure, Con-Fab California Corporation fabricated girders that were 7’-6” deep x 166’-5” long, weighing 217,000 lbs each.
Contemporary highway bridge designs are incorporating longer spans which are supported by ongoing advances in concrete and reinforcing technologies. The CA Wide Flange section was specifically developed to meet the demand for designs with longer clear spans and wider girder spacings for precast bridge structures that are cost competitive with cast-in-place box girder construction. The use of the California Wide Flange Girder in California highway bridge construction has increased demonstrably each year since its adoption by the State which reflects favorably on the cost effectiveness of this section.
While the materials science and fabrication processes are in place to supply this cost effective bridge element, a very important consideration for the use of long precast girders is the identification of any transportation constraints. Extremely long bridge girders can be delivered to most destinations around the State. However the more remote sites do require a transportation route analysis to confirm the product can be delivered. California bridge girder manufacturer’s welcome all information requests from designers regarding the ability to deliver long girders to specific sites.
The Green Valley Road Overcrossing structure is a part of a multi-year, multi-phase transportation project conducted by Caltrans, The Solano Transportation Authority, and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to provide major improvements to the Interstate 80, Interstate 680 and State Route 12 interchanges. The project will benefit citizens by improving travel times, reducing cut-through traffic on local streets, and enhance safety by streamlining connections for motorists transitioning between these three major state routes linking the Bay Area, the Napa Valley, and Sacramento.
Project Name: Green Valley Road OC
Location: Cordelia, California
Owner: The State Of California and the Solano Transportation Authority
Engineer: Mark Thomas and Company, Inc + Nolte Associates
Prime Contractor: DeSilva Gates Construction
Bridge Subcontractor: Viking Construction
Precast Subcontractor: Con-Fab California Corporation