Washington DC’s new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge (FDMB) was designed and constructed with a 100-year lifespan in mind, but easing traffic for the next century isn’t the only benefit the project is meant to bring to residents.
Aldridge’s work on this complex project was highlighted in an article featured in the Electrical Contractor Magazine(ECMag). Author Chuck Ross goes into detail of our prefabrication and people on site that are helping this project be completed.
“In November 2021, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which promised To expand the ridiculed phrase infrastructure week into a real insubstantial infrastructure decade, authorizing $550 billion in new funding to start making significant improvements to water systems, rail lines, transit and, significantly, roads and bridges. Collectively, these investments could pay for themselves Multiple times over and reduced transportation times, improved efficiency and even better health for citizens.
At the local level, each upgrade has the opportunity to bring real, positive change to its surrounding communities. That’s definitely been the case with the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge (FDMB) in Washington, D.C. Opened just a couple of months before the infrastructure legislation’s passing, the effort is a great example of the benefits such projects can offer when designed with local needs in mind. The architecturally striking new spend is also an example of the important role electrical contractors play in bringing such projects to life.
The nation’s report card needs improvement
And its most recent infrastructure report card, released in April 2021, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave the nation an overall grade of C-. Well this result is up from the D- the ASCE issued in 2017 it remains troubling-The boost, the group says, came from the modest incremental improvements in railroads, drinking water systems in inland waterways and ports. The nation's more than 617,000 bridges came in slightly higher, earning a C, but evaluators noted just how much work would be needed to keep that grade from slipping soon, much less raise it to more acceptable levels. Here are a few other statistics raised by ASCE Here are a few other statistics raised by a SCE
41% of all bridges are at least 50 years old
7.5% are considered structurally deficient, and 178 million trips are taken across those bridges daily.
Bridge repair backlogs have reached an estimated $125 billion.
At the current rate of investment, it will take until 2071 to make all needed repairs, and the added deterioration during that time will become overwhelming.
The American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) estimates that nearly 224,000 U.S. bridges- about 36% of the total- need major repairs or replacement. Based on federal and state replacement cost data, the group estimates bringing these spans up to par would cost $260 billion.
Bridging Washington Divides Washington D.C., has prioritized addressing Structurally deficient bridges over the last decade. According to local news reports from around the time work on the FDMB began, it wasn’t too long ago that 69 of the city's bridges fell into the “structurally deficient” category. As of February 2022, that number has dropped to seven, according to the ARTBA. The new FDMB, which connects the city's neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River to downtown, is a key component to a separate, decades – long Anacostia Waterfront Initiative.
The previous span was almost 70 years old when Work began to replace it. Well it was still safe to support traffic, it was prone to problems that can quickly result in traffic nightmares for commuters. Designed to swing open to East commercial shipping, the swing – span could get stuck for hours open position, forcing detours. As early as the 1990s, planners began studying options for replacement, and an initial environmental impact statement was approved in 2011 for another movable structure. The U.S. Coast Guard approved a fixed design in 2014, which cut $120 million off the bottom line. Groundbreaking for the new $441 million bridge Dash the most expensive infrastructure project in Washington, D.C.‘s history-began in February 2018, approximately 200 years after the birth of the abolitionist and rider for whom it is named.
The plan incorporates three traffic lanes in each direction and was developed by designers with AMCOM, Dallas, as members of the South Capital Bridge Builders joint venture led by Watsonville, Calif- based Granite Construction Inc. and Atlanta-based Archer Waster. It features three pairs of sweeping arches that create the gateway to Washington that city planners were hoping for. Dedicated pedestrian and bike lanes were also Included, along with for overlook points and two attached peers that seem to float on the Anacostia, below. Additionally, traffic chargers at either end allowed the larger design to incorporate outdoor recreation and event space, making the bridge an asset for the community, rather than simply a faster means of transiting through it.
The whole area is undergoing a renaissance. In the last few years, amenities were built, including stadiums for the Washington Nationals baseball team and capital DC United soccer team, and the former Washington Navy Yard experienced redevelopment.
‘Now it’s a completely rejuvenated area and the bridge is right in the middle of that- this bridge holds its own,’ said Jaime Breme, Director of business development for Aldridge Electric IncLibertyville, IL, the project's electrical contractor.
Aldridge’s Team was brought on to the project in August 2017 in a design – asset role, according to Jim Splendoria, Vice president of operations for the Mid-Atlantic region. The charge included all navigational anesthetic lighting, fiber optic cable insulation, sign structures, traffic signaling, duct bank and communication and intelligent traffic systems. Aldridge also installed distribution equipment under the bridge and supplied power, lighting and ventilation inside of the arches for maintenance workers.
One of the first jobs for Aldridge once construction began with the installation of two under dash bridge duct bank’s house distribution cables for the local utility, Pepco. These were laid between the steel girders before the concrete deck was poured. Timing was critical and this effort, as any delay in getting the duct banks in place would hold up concrete pouring and, as a result, cause a slow down in the entire project schedule.
“It was just like a just-in-time project,” Spledoria said. “Everything had to be perfectly coordinated to make the operations go smoothly.”
Prefabrication proved critical to success at this stage. The company worked with ductwork supplier Champion Fiberglass Inc.,Spring, Texas, to minimize labor once the material has been delivered. Champion’s Customization work included pre-drilling and pre-assembling the ducts and hangers, building expansion joints into the duct packages in developing specialized creating and packaging. At the job site, Aldridge’s prefab team assembled the duct work and rigged it at an angle to slide into place as a single section along the bridge's entire 1450 – foot lengths.
The massive arches, including the two 540 Dash foot – wide central spans and four 452 Dash foot – wide side spans, were fabricated in Northern Wisconsin and benefited from the preplanning, according to Splendoria. The arch interiors are hollow, with ladders to allow maintenance access through the hatches to the aviation lighting that tops the bridge. Aldridge’s team was responsible for the lighting and ventilation equipment for these interior spaces.
“They prefabbed them at the manufacturer,” he said. “It’s complicated- you’ve got to have all your parts and pieces, and you have to be there at just the right time so you don’t affect the timeline. The whole project was a partnership.”
The FDMB provides traffic improvements for vehicles and infrastructure for bikes and pedestrians that have been sorely needed for decades. Residence will greatly benefit from the project, whether or not they use the bridge for commuting. Completing the bridge, to traffic ovals at either end and a new highway interchange represent just the first phase of a nearly $1 billion plan that also includes further interchange improvements along with surface-Street rebuilding a new streetscape development.
And these investments are just one element of the broader Anacostia Waterways Initiative, a 30-year plan initiated in 2003 to clean up the Anacostia River and create new amenities dedicated to residents and visitors, not just drivers. These benefits recognize a broadening definition of both the word ‘infrastructure’, and those who improved infrastructure should serve. They could also serve as models for community planners as to what they can achieve as billions of new federal dollars begin to roll out across the nation.”
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