ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION | IMPACT BRIDGE TO REVITALIZATION Michael Baker balances innovation, stakeholder coordination to rehabilitate Milwaukee’s iconic Hoan Bridge ilwaukee’s iconic, picture-perfect Daniel Hoan Bridge not only connects the Port of Milwaukee with Interstate 794, it also serves as a primary commuter route into the city for 42,000 vehicles a Mday. The bridge is a dramatic gateway to Milwaukee’s historic Third Ward and Maier Festival Park – home to Summerfest and ethnic festivals drawing more than 1 million visitors annually. The Hoan Bridge served the city well for most of its 40 years. However, four decades of steady traffi c and changing weather took their toll, leaving the two-mile-long bridge and adjacent roadway badly deteriorated and in dire need of rehabilitation. So how would the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) replace 34,000 cubic yards of deck concrete, install 11 million pounds of deck-reinforcing steel and repaint 1.5 million square feet of bridge infrastructure without virtually shutting down the city and its nearby shipping port in the process? WisDOT in 2011 ultimately turned to a team of surface transportation engineers from Michael Baker International in Wisconsin, in partnership with engineering fi rm GRAEF, a sub-consultant, to address those issues and help lead this complex project. The Michael Baker team served as the lead engineering consultant on what would become a $193 million construction project for the region. 12Photo /courtesy SIGNATURE of Bill Bedell, - FALL Wisconsin 2016 Department of Transportation We Make a Difference / 13 IMPACT | ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION | IMPACT Other awards include: ACI Coast Guard to establish a Notable Projects of Milwaukee; staged-construction approach to and Daily Reporter - Top projects the work to minimize disruptions as of 2015. sub-contractors attempted to safely and effi ciently execute the work. “We’re honored by the accolades,” Zinn says. “Though the project was daunting with multiple CHALLENGES stakeholders involved, the FROM THE START team handled it professionally and effi ciently,” says Brian For those involved with the Kasprzyk, fi eld engineer with the project, though, December 2015 Port of Milwaukee. “They were likely seemed a distant aspiration, very receptive to our needs at the given the many challenges that port. We appreciate the team’s had to be addressed throughout effort in successfully completing the life of the project. this massive project with minimal The Hoan Bridge, built originally disruption to daily operations at in the mid-1970s, provides a the Port of Milwaukee.” key link in southeast Wisconsin’s transportation network by BRIDGING connecting I-794 in downtown STAKEHOLDER Milwaukee to the Lake Freeway INTERESTS The Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) The project, which began in 2011, was completed in across the Milwaukee River. Coordination with stakeholders during the design and Wisconsin Coach, which provide for festival December 2015. Following repairs for a past major failure and multiple process also contributed to helping construction attendees non-stop access to and from the previous rehabilitation projects, the Michael Baker “The Hoan Bridge is an iconic structure that plays proceed smoothly, Halverson says. Members of the grounds, required additional coordination to team had to quickly develop a long-term solution to an important role in the region’s transportation project team conducted more than 80 stakeholder identify viable detour routes to ensure unimpeded keep this critical route open for business, according to infrastructure, and our team knew we would need meetings during the planning process to discuss operations. Major demolition also required extensive Chad Halverson, PE, who served as the deputy project to bring the company’s full continuum of innovative elements ranging from construction impacts to project stakeholder coordination. manager for Michael Baker on the project. solutions to bear on this project,” says Kent Zinn, vice aesthetics. The project, which encompassed nearly 100 structure president and offi ce executive for Michael Baker’s “The Hoan Bridge is a complex steel structure made Proactive coordination, for instance, allowed the units (equivalent to 18.5 lane miles), involved substantial Wisconsin operations. “We delivered on that challenge up of nearly 50 individual units, including a steel-tied Milwaukee Public Market, a unique year-round indoor repairs on numerous structures and structure types, so by minimizing disruptions during construction and arch, post-tensioned box girders, steel plate girder specialty food market located under the east-west time-sensitive and precision advanced planning, while introducing engineering innovations that can stand and girder-stringer-fl oor beam spans,” says Halverson structures, to maintain parking and remain open for a major challenge, became critical. The Michael Baker- the test of time.” of the complexity of the original design. business throughout the duration of construction. The led team delivered the preliminary and fi nal designs Such issues didn’t go unnoticed. The project recently Moreover, the bridge crosses 120 feet over the festival grounds, located directly adjacent to a portion of this major rehabilitation project in only 17 months, earned Michael Baker the “Best of the State Award Milwaukee River Harbor inlet, where large cargo of the bridge, represented the biggest coordination versus typical delivery time for this scale of project of for Structural Systems” from the American Council ships traverse frequently. And it spans the Milwaukee challenge, Halverson suggests, in terms of both two to three years. This included more than 3,200 fi nal of Engineering Companies Wisconsin for the team’s Metropolitan Sewage District (MMSD) and port design and construction since the site’s many festivals design drawing sheets completed in only nine months. work on the bridge and roadway project, and a 2016 terminal, which includes several railroad lines as well throughout the year attract more than a million visitors. “Excellence in Highway Design Award for Consultant as signifi cant crane activity to load and unload freight. Structure Design” from WisDOT for the project. The Michael Baker-led project team had to coordinate with the port, its tenants, MMSD and even the U.S. 14 / SIGNATURE - FALL 2016 We Make a Difference / 15 ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION | IMPACT WASTEWATER CONSIDERATIONS • Movable concrete barriers (MCB) – In its inaugural use in Milwaukee, this approach Given the proximity of the bridge to the MMSD’s Jones maintained two peak direction lanes in the Island Water Reclamation Facility, the Michael Baker Our team knew peak periods. MCB minimized impacts to the team also had to navigate the potential for problems “ traveling public during peak rush-hour traffi c at the facility caused by demolition, construction, volumes by allowing the number of traffi c lanes stormwater design, painting and other challenges. The to be adjusted to match daily traffi c patterns, team found success there as well. we would need to reducing user delays and impacts as well as the “The Hoan Bridge project had signifi cant potential potential for crashes and injuries. to impact operations on the Milwaukee Metropolitan • Staged-construction approach – The staging Sewerage District’s Jones Island Water Reclamation was critical to meet the project’s aggressive Facility and sanitary sewers,” notes Debra Jenson of schedule and received enthusiastic public bring the company’s the MMSD. “Early in the planning process, Wisconsin’s acceptance. The use of MCB minimized the Department of Transportation recognized the issues projected peak-hour delays and queue lengths. and proactively worked with MMSD to make sure our These reductions were critical given the two- efforts to protect public health were not adversely year construction time frame for the project impacted, especially since the Jones Island facility sits and the need to maximize access to the many full continuum of directly under the Hoan Bridge.” lakefront events. By working together, the project team minimized • Stainless steel reinforcement – A Wisconsin impacts to: fi rst for a project of this size, 11 million solutions to bear on • Wastewater treatment at Jones Island, pounds of stainless steel reinforcement were Wisconsin’s largest water reclamation facility. used in the new decks, to effect lower future maintenance costs, a longer deck life and lower • Worker protection from falling construction life-cycle costs. Most bridge decks include debris and paint overspray. epoxy-coated steel reinforcing bars to resist this project. • Wastewater from storm sewer cleaning on the corrosion introduced by chloride ions from ” bridge, discharging it into MMSD’s sewers to be de-icing chemicals. Although stainless steel Kent Zinn | Michael Baker International cleaned at the district’s treatment facilities and reinforcement has a higher initial cost than therefore protecting area waterways. epoxy-coated reinforcement, recent studies have shown that it provides more consistent • Maintenance equipment access by designing resistance to corrosion by virtue of the special access paths to MMSD facilities that metallurgic structure of the steel. supported the equipment. • Light Detection & Ranging (LiDAR) – Used to • Truck traffi c ability to reach Jones Island during collect and process bridge component data, construction. this geospatial information technology better defi ned the scope of needed