Technical Description:
- Width: 14-ft.
- Span: 85-ft.
- Style: Keystone®
- Finish: Painted Steel
- Decking: Concrete
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The 16.7 mile long, 10-15-ft. wide Monon Trail is utilized by runners, walkers and bikers. When a pedestrian bridge structure was needed to cross Carmel Drive along the trail, the City of Carmel chose an 85-ft. x 14-ft. Continental® Truss Bridge. This prefabricated overpass met the requirements of both the City of Carmel and the State of Indiana by providing the best value for the customer by offering the most cost effective alternative and also was able to meet the aggressive delivery schedule.
“We placed our trust for meeting the aggressive schedule of this project in the hands of Contech,” stated Michael McBride, City Engineer of the City of Carmel.
It was requested that a sound barrier should be included in the design of the structure. To meet this challenge, the bridge was designed to accommodate the additional dead loading of plexiglass panels. The next challenge was how to attach the panels to the bridge structure. Nuts were welded to the top chords and all of the verticals at approximately 1-ft.-0” on center. The framed plexiglass panels were then set in place using a metal strip and bolts to attach them to the structure. The result was a nice, clean look without any rough edges.
In order to meet the vertical clearance requirements of the Indiana Department of Transportation, the structure was designed with a redundant chord located 17-ft. above the roadway. It was also designed to accommodate the additional tension load in case the bottom chord is ever struck during an accident.
The pedestrian overpass structure was delivered to the site in two pieces and then attached during installation. Because the installation took place in just one day, Carmel Drive was only closed for one night. The bridge was officially opened to trail traffic in late November 2008.
“When choosing a provider, Contech was our one and only choice,” added Michael McBride. “As is consistent with our past experiences, Contech came through for the City of Carmel. The structure again exceeded our quality and service requirements.”
Technical Description:
- Width: 14-ft.
- Span: 85-ft.
- Style: Keystone®
- Finish: Painted Steel
- Decking: Concrete
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