Battling stiff currents and extensive river-borne debris, the project team initiated a round-the-clock effort to restore a flood-damaged 270-ft-long rail bridge and minimize disruptions to harvest-season agricultural shipments. The team was challenged to create a replacement design that could be built with readily available materials and avoid foundation remnants of a previous structure in the riverbed. 

Pile and casing templates were built during mobilization so that piles and drilled shafts could be quickly and accurately located during substructure construction. Precast pier caps fabricated out of high early strength, high-performance concrete and steam-cured overnight were delivered for timely installation from two barge-mounted cranes within 24 hours of being poured. 

Additional time-saving measures included use of post-tensioning rods to install each cap and tapping the railroad’s inventory of preassembled steel-plate-girder bridge spans. The concerted effort restored rail service across the river in 27 days—half the estimated time.

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