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Bridge Out to Bridge Open in Just Three Months

Location:

Jones Cove Bridge Sevier County, Tennessee

Profile:

When heavy rains caused the Jones Cove Bridge to collapse, residents faced interruption to their daily lives and drive times extended by an hour or more. The Tennessee Department of Transportation adopted an accelerated solution that met its aggressive schedule safely and efficiently.

Challenges:

Complete bridge failure, aggressive time schedule

Solution:

Five U18 U-BEAM™ steel press-brake-formed tub girders

Would you like more information?

"Some common misperceptions of steel bridge beams are that they are expensive, require a lot of maintenance and have a long lead time. U-BEAM™ steel fabrication eliminates all these concerns.” Guy Nelson, Product Development Director, Valmont

When a summer flood washed out the Jones Cove Bridge in July 2022, officials jumped into action to develop a solution to quickly restore the bridge and minimize disruption for area residents facing hours-long extensions to their commutes. Concerned that full repair of the box bridge over the Wilhite River would extend into 2023, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) was eager to implement an Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) solution. It just so happened that a Valmont purpose-built press-brake-formed tub girder fabrication facility was opening in Tennessee at the same time. With a situation in need of an emergency solution, the U-BEAM™ was a good choice for TDOT to consider. The bridge’s simplistic design, ease of erection and overall stability of the structural system all helped to shorten the project delivery time. TDOT designed the bridge abutments in-house and used Valmont’s standard design tables for the U-BEAMs, which are offered in five standard sizes. And Valmont’s simplified and automated fabrication procedures eliminated costly processes like field welding and allowed delivery on an accelerated schedule — speeding its already fast 10-week turnaround to just six weeks. Ultimately, the Cove Road Bridge project was completed ahead of schedule — in just three months. This provided savings for the TDOT and relieved the traveling public of the inconvenience caused by the bridge closure. The new bridge features two 10-foot travel lanes, one in each direction, and a five-foot shoulder on each side. Over time, the Valmont U-BEAM Bridge solution will continue to deliver advantages. The shallow U18 beams allow for increased underclearance for future flooding concerns. In addition, the 60-year, hot-dip galvanized coating will continue to provide a maintenance-free lifespan of 100 years, with little to no upkeep. Return to bridge solutions