After Setback, New Jersey Gets Speedy Segmental Span
After an initial failed design-build attempt at replacing an old swing bridge, the New Jersey Dept. of Transportation now plans to open its first precast segmental concrete bridge to traffic later this summer. The 440-ft-long twin main spans of the new Victory Bridge over the Raritan River are the longest match-cast girders of their kind in the U.S., say officials.
In 1999, NJDOT hired a team led by Schiavone Construction Co., Secaucus, N.J., to build the bridge under a modified design-build contract for $90 million. The process called for "completing only 30% of preliminary plans for bidding purposes," says Nat Kasbekar, NJDOT project manager. "The team was picked on a low-bid basis to complete design [and] construction. One drawback of this process is that it does not allow review of the contract."