OPAC Consulting Engineers

Jamestown Bridge


West Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island

Client:

Rhode Island Department of Transportation

Date:

Construction completed 1993

Scope of work:

Design and Construction Support

Construction cost:

US $180 million

Services Performed:

  • Bridge type selection
  • Preliminary and final design
  • Preparation of contract documents
  • Construction engineering support

Issues:

  • Complex cantilever construction engineering
  • Strict geometry control during erection

The Jamestown (Jamestown-Verrazano) Bridge Project consisted of designing a replacement structure for the existing bridge on State Route 138 which crosses Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island. The new structure provides two lanes of traffic in each direction, separated by a concrete median barrier on the 72 ft wide deck. The main bridge included two types of concrete construction. The 4,980 ft structure consists of 1,760 ft of main spans constructed by segmental cantilever method and 3,220 ft of precast approach spans erected by heavy lift operations. For the main span, the segmental erection sequence for the bridge superstructure, including segment-by-segment erection of form travelers, placement of concrete, stressing of tendons, and moving of formwork was analyzed using the SFRAME/S3D computer program, to track each construction stage and time dependent behavior through expected service life. This modeling provided camber charts and tendon stressing specifications for use by the contractor. T.Y. Lin International (TYLI) was the structural engineer of record.

  • Kwong Cheng, current OPAC Principal, served as Supervising Engineer while at TYLI. He participated in the bridge type selection, performed preliminary design and worked closely with the contractor throughout the construction phase.
  • Francis Drouillard, current OPAC Principal, served as Project Engineer for final design and Deputy Project Manager for construction while at TYLI.
  • Vivian Chang, current OPAC Principal, served as Deputy Project Manager for construction while at TYLI.