Progress Photos: 2007

December 2007

Main Street Bridge Abutment.		Commercial Street Northbound Off Ramp Retaining Wall and Viaduct Piers in the background.
Main Street Bridge Abutment and Northbound On Ramp Wall.
Purgatoire River Bridge Pier construction.
Preparations to pour the Northbound Viaduct.
		Northbound Viaduct Pier construction.
Pre-cast deck panel placement on the Northbound Viaduct.
Pier construction at the Purgatoire River Bridges.

November 2007

Cranes lift Viaduct Girders into place.
Northbound Viaduct Girders arriving at the job site.		Northbound Viaduct Girders ready for installation.
Construction of sanitary sewer lines in Commercial Street.

October 2007

Pier and abutment progress on the northbound viaduct.

September 2007

Workers make final preparations to the Main Street Bridge Abutment Caissons as the MSE abutment face is placed.		The Main Street abutment will be backfilled with earth as each successive level of MSE panels is placed.
Viaduct demolition near University St. where steel plate girders were used to span the railroad.
Viaduct demolition.		Viaduct demolition over the railroad tracks.
Viaduct demolition near University St.		Demolition of the Depot Building.
Viaduct demolition and view of several new Viaduct Piers.

August 2007 (middle of the month)

Demolition work continues on the northbound viaduct.
A mixer truck empties fresh concrete into the pump truck that will deliver it to the top of the waiting form work for a viaduct pier.		Workers consult design plans to place final reinforcing for the pier cap within the previously completed form work for a viaduct pier.
A completed viaduct pier with most of the form work removed. Workers will now do minor surface repairs in preparation for the final finishes.		The pump truck delivering fresh concrete into the pier form. Workers on the pier ensure there are no voids in the pour.
Aerial view of Commercial Street area looking north. Note the two column foundations identifiable by the vertical green steel protected by barriers.		Aerial view of the Commercial Street staging area. Notice the form materials and partially tied steel cages for the pier columns.

August 2007 (early in the month)

Demolition of the northbound viaduct structure.
Pile driving next to Commercial Street		Pile driving analyzer on viaduct pile driving operation.
Viaduct pier column and cap reinforcing steel in its pre-tied cage sits on the ground awaiting installation within the form work.		Reinforcing steel for the pier columns is delivered in 'kit' form to be assembled on site. The "green steel" has a rust inhibitive coating.
Viaduct pier form work ready for the installation of the pre-tied reinforcing steel cage.		A crane lifts the pre-tied reinforcing steel cage into its place within the form.
Progress on the MSE wall panels with a good view of the ashlar wall texture.

July 2007

Construction continues and installation of abutment caissons for the I-25 bridge at Main Street is making progress.
A large crane lifts a new precast concrete storm sewer inlet into place at Main Street.		Workers use the crane to make final elevation adjustments to the inlet before connecting pipe.
Workers tie the reinforcing steel cages for a viaduct pier column.		Prefabricated form panels will be used to shape the concrete viaduct piers.
Form panels can be assembled used and then disassembled and used again on the next pier.		Workers patch a pier form panel to ensure a smooth concrete finish.
An MSE or Mechanically Stabilized Earth wall being constructed at the Commercial Street Ramp.		An MSE wall consists of a system of inter- locking precast concrete panels visible here.
Behind the MSE wall panels attached metal strips mechanically stabilize each successive layer of the earth fill giving this system its name.		The front face of the MSE wall panels have been formed to create a pattern resembling an ashlar wall.
A Temporary Amtrak station is in place on the project and being readied for service.

June 2007

Installation of abutment caissons for the I-25 bridge at Main Street.
Preparing to drive steel "H" piles for one of the I-25 Viaduct pier footings.		The cage contains a "hammer" that is raised and dropped to drive steel "H" piles to bedrock for a Viaduct pier near Pine Street.
Once all the piles for a footing are in place, forms are constructed to place a concrete pile cap. Workers here are tying the cap reinforcement.		The vertical reinforcing bars, green with a protective epoxy coating, will lap with the pier column steel above.
Workers place concrete in the pile cap form for a completed footing. Each pier footing will contain several pilings and a pile cap.

May 2007 (late in the month)

The contractor clears superstructure debris from under the south bound I-25 structure at Main Street.		A crawler nibbles away at the pier cap of the Main Street bridge during the final stages of demolition.
Workers layout forms that will be used to place concrete for the footing of the Main Street Ramp retaining wall.		Workers place pre-cast concrete components of the new storm sewer system.
Assembled on the ground, the reinforcing steel cage is lifted for placement in the drilled shafts for the new Main Street bridge foundation.		Workers guide the reinforcing steel cage into the drilled shaft. The visible tube is a steel casing which prevents collapses of the shaft. This type of foundation is called a caisson.
Reinforcing steel protruding from the finished caissons form the connection between the foundation and the bridge Abutment 1 above ground.		The caissons have been filled with concrete as the casing was being removed. This set of caissons provides a deep foundation for Main Street Abutment 1 that reaches to bedrock far below.

May 2007 (early in the month)

A crane lifts the sign bridge that identifies the Main Street Ramp exit.		A worker repairs a bridge deck that will carry detour traffic.
Photos of clearing and grubbing at Main Street Ramp 1.

April 2007

Photo looking north on I-25 at mile post (MP) 13. It shows the contractor paving the median detour crossover, setting concrete barrier in the south bound lanes, and constructing a retaining wall at the Main St. off ramp.		All traffic will be detoured to the north bound lanes allowing the contractor to remove and replace south bound I-25 lanes and structures.