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T.Y. Lin International Wins 2014 Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute Design Awards

T.Y. Lin International Wins 2014 Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute Design Awards

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T.Y. Lin International (TYLI), a globally recognized full-service infrastructure consulting firm, announces that the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) has named two TYLI projects as winners of its prestigious 2014 PCI Design Awards. The projects include the North Milliken Avenue Underpass Value Engineering Redesign Project in Ontario, CA, which won the Best Non-Highway Bridges category, and the New York Avenue Bridge Rehabilitation Project in Washington, D.C., which took top honors in the Best Transportation Special Solution category.

PCI, the leading technical institute for the precast, prestressed concrete structures industry, holds its annual PCI Design Awards program in order to recognize design excellence and construction quality using precast concrete. TYLI’s projects were showcased at the 60th Anniversary PCI Convention and National Bridge Conference on September 6 - 9, 2014 in National Harbor, MD.

About the Award-Winning Projects:

North Milliken Avenue Underpass Value Engineering Redesign Project, Ontario, CA
2014 PCI Design Award Winner, Best Non-Highway Bridge

The North Milliken Avenue Underpass is a busy railroad crossing located less than a quarter mile south of the Interstate 10 intersection, a major east-west freeway located in San Bernardino County. Prior to the opening of the new underpass, truck traffic exiting the freeway was routinely brought to a standstill by commercial freight trains traveling through the original at-grade crossing, causing heavy backups onto the freeway itself.

While contract documents called for a steel plate girder bridge with a steel deck plate, TYLI developed a value engineered alternative design for the superstructure utilizing adjacent precast prestressed concrete box girders. The alternative solution was approved by the City of Ontario, resulting in a net savings of $900,000 and significantly reduced fabrication time.

Additional features of the new, two-span underpass include a precast concrete T-wall-based retaining system that runs a half mile in either direction on both sides of the tracks, elevating the railroad line 30 feet while meeting right-of-way requirements. Precast concrete fascia beams cast with an architectural form liner give the exterior surface an aesthetic, ashlar-stone appearance with granite band borders, and are also used to support maintenance walkways, railings, and communication conduit.

The high-strength precast concrete units were designed to meet stringent American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association strength and deflection requirements and allowed faster delivery of the project. The underpass and approaches were constructed in two phases, enabling the busy railroad line to stay in full operation throughout construction.

“T.Y. Lin International is proud to have been Engineer of Record for the North Milliken Avenue Underpass Redesign Project,” said Mark Ashley, P.E., TYLI Senior Vice President and West Region Director. "Not only does the new structure benefit drivers and local communities by alleviating traffic congestion and reducing carbon monoxide emissions caused by idling vehicles, but the project also demonstrates to the industry that high-performance precast concrete is a tremendously efficient and cost-effective solution for railroad bridge spans over 80 feet."

New York Avenue Bridge Rehabilitation Project, Washington, D.C. 2014 PCI Design Award Winner, Best Transportation Special Solution

The New York Avenue Bridge, which originally opened in 1966, is a major transportation corridor into Washington, D.C. from Maryland. TYLI provided value engineering design on the bridge rehabilitation project, which involved the demolition, removal, lowering, and reconstruction of the twin-span bridge superstructure; piers rehabilitation; widening of existing abutments; the construction of two independent piers to support gateway monuments; and overall improvements to the approach roadways, pedestrian sidewalks, and roadway lighting features.

Because the bridge crosses numerous rail lines operated by Amtrak, Metrorail, and regional commuter trains, it was imperative to limit traffic impacts when addressing constructability issues. The use of precast, post-tensioned concrete deck panels that cantilever over the exterior girders allowed for faster construction, eliminated delays associated with formwork construction and concrete curing time, facilitated deck replacement, and caused less disruption to the train traffic.

“The successful rehabilitation of the New York Avenue Bridge utilized an innovative approach to minimize disruption from construction operations and to ensure that this structure will be able to accommodate the surface transportation needs of this growing region for decades to come," said Robert Radley, P.E., TYLI Senior Vice President and East Region Director. “T.Y. Lin International is very pleased to have worked with the District of Columbia Department of Transportation, Fort Myer Construction Corporation, and the Federal Highway Administration on such an important local project.”

Other awards won this year by the New York Avenue Bridge Rehabilitation Project include a 2014 Engineering Excellence National Recognition Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) 2014 America’s Transportation Award, Best Use of Innovation Category, and the 2014 John L. Martin Partnered Project of the Year from the International Partnering Institute (IPI).

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