Walt Whitman Bridge Suspended Spans
The Walt Whitman Bridge (WWB) connects Gloucester, New Jersey and
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, carrying Interstate I-76 over the Delaware
River. The suspended spans consist of two side spans, each approximately
770 feet in length, and a main span that is 2000 feet in length. CHI has been providing professional services to DRPA since 2016 and the details of these tasks are as follows:
Suspender Damage Investigation
CHI conducted field inspection and calculated the remaining
safety factors of several damaged suspenders. Using recent dead and live loads, which were lower than the original design loads, it was determined that the damaged suspenders still had sufficient safety factors, and immediate replacement was not necessary.
Floor Truss Load Rating
Gusset plates in many floor trusses had significant deterioration and
needed replacement. Temporary supports were necessary for the
gusset plate replacement. CHI performed load ratings for five types of floor
trusses with temporary supporting frames. The work was done in an
expeditious manner so that construction could proceed without delay.
Peer Review of Tower Link Monitoring
The tower links were monitored by another consultant. CHI was retained by DRPA to perform a peer review of the results from said monitoring and to develop concepts for temporary supports and jacking frames should the tower links need to be replaced.
LOCATION
Philadelphia, PA
OWNER
Delaware River Port Authority
