Best Highway/Bridge: RFK Bridge Connector Ramp K to the Northbound Harlem River Drive (RK-23C)
Space was at a premium when it came to shoehorning the gently graded 1,400-ft-long steel and concrete connector ramp between northbound and southbound lanes of Harlem River Drive, a popular route for vehicles to the George Washington Bridge. But within this constrained space, the project team was able to install various-sized deep foundation micropile groups, pour concrete for columns and pier caps and install steel for a new structure that would erase a 60-year-old detour through neighborhood streets.
Along with difficult soils, underground high-voltage lines were discovered directly in the path of one pier’s deep foundation. Micropile installation could not begin until the line was decommissioned and the area abated—a potentially time-consuming process that threatened the entire project schedule.