I-690 over Teall Avenue and Beech Street Bridge Replacement

The design-build project was completed ahead of schedule for the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). 

The bridges that carry I-690 over Beech Street and Teall Avenue were replaced with cost-effective, enduring structures and brought all roadway geometry to current safety standards. By eliminating 1,500 feet of aging viaduct and the associated costly maintenance, the project also ended maintenance lane closures that would routinely negatively impact travelers.  

TYLin also created a gateway bridge appearance for the new Teall Avenue and Beech Street structures. Such aesthetic improvements are designed to boost neighborhood vitality while improving safety and operational conditions. 

Additionally, the project widened and reconstructed I-690 to provide three lanes in each direction along with standard acceleration and deceleration lanes; widened and re-aligned exit and entrance ramps at Teall Avenue; established the Beech Street bridge approaches; and reconstructed the Teall Avenue intersection with connecting streets and highways.  

The project site was marked by highly unstable soil conditions, creating poor conditions and great maintenance expense. The team used innovative soil strengthening methods to bond and bridge the weak soil conditions, allowing the creation of a stable embankment and retaining walls and a massive savings in yearly maintenance costs for NYSDOT. 

TYLin was responsible for design management, design quality control, bridge and structures design, highway and street design, the energy-efficient LED lighting design, traffic signal design, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) design, utility design coordination, document control, and street Work Zone Traffic Control (WZTC) design. 

Project Highlights: 

• To maintain efficient travel and maximum safety for the I-690 daily commuters, the team developed intricate staging and phasing plans to ensure minimal delays during construction.   
• By designing jointless decks for the new Beech Street and Teall Avenue structures, TYLin significantly reduced upkeep costs and travel interruptions for maintenance.  
• Jacking foundations were installed in front of the abutments for future bridge bearing replacement operations, eliminating the need for rigging materials and accommodating replacement without lane closures.        
• The new ITS infrastructure provides traffic flow monitoring information to allow street network modifications, resulting in reduced idling time, emissions, and travel delays and improved air quality.        
• The team designed and installed stormwater runoff quality and quantity features that improve the City of Syracuse and Onondaga County surface water quality.   
• The project was completed ahead of schedule and provided a near-zero maintenance solution while erasing the high annual expenses of the aging viaduct.