Technical Description:
- Span: 48 ft
- Rise: 11 ft
- Length: 160 ft
Royal Palms Parkway in Palm Coast, Florida, was a two-lane road. The City of Palm Coast needed to extend the roadway in order to provide a direct east/west connection between residential areas and the City’s new downtown area.
The expansion project included the widening and realignment of the Lehigh Canal and the need for a bridge to span the canal. The roadway extension was originally specified with RCP storm sewer pipe and a traditional FDOT concrete beam bridge.
“A CON/SPAN bridge structure was presented as an alternative option for evaluation,” said Robert Gaylord, Engineer of Record, Singhofen & Associates. “Because the City required a minimum 3’ clearance during a 100 year, 24 hour storm event, we presented a design that required an 8’ high pedestal wall. The cost was approximately $200,000 less than the original concrete beam bridge option.”
A Florida DOT approved 48’ span CON/SPAN with an 11’ rise and a length of 160’ was chosen for the project. Keystone headwalls and wingwalls were added to provide an aesthetically pleasing, signature look. The economical design and fast, set-in-place construction provided the necessary solution.
The bridge location had very poor soils, requiring the need for a structural slab base. The structure was placed on 8’ high pedestal walls to obtain the necessary clearance for the canal. In order to stabilize the banks of the canal, ArmorFlex articulating block systems and Contech’s woven geotextiles were used.
“There was also an existing 30” HDPE reuse water main under Lehigh canal that we had to consider,” said Gaylord. “Using a concrete beam bridge option meant we would have had to use direction bore logs in hopes of avoiding the main. The CON/SPAN option allowed avoidance of the reuse main and any new utilities could be placed over the CON/SPAN, adjacent to the new roadway.”
Also, A-2000 PVC and ULTRA-FLO spiral ribbed storm sewer pipes were approved and used as alternates to RCP. The City now has a direct connection to the new downtown area, expected to be fully completed by 2020, via the Royal Palms Parkway extension.
Technical Description:
- Span: 48 ft
- Rise: 11 ft
- Length: 160 ft