St. James EpiscopalMay 10, 2011

Bill Grass, JJA SpokespersonLouisiana TIMED Managers

Louisiana TIMED Program• Created by Act 16 of the

1989 Louisiana legislature & voted for by the people

• Largest transportation program in state history

• Sixteen specific projects across the state

• Designed to stimulate economic development

Louisiana TIMED Managers

• Hired in 2002 by Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development to accelerate the TIMED program

• Joint venture– Parsons Brinckerhoff– GEC, Inc.– The LPA Group, Inc.

John James Audubon Bridge Project

• One of the TIMED program’s 16 projects

• Contractor is Audubon Bridge Constructors, a joint venture of– Flatiron Construction Corp.– Granite Construction– Parsons Transportation Group

John James Audubon Bridge• Naming the new bridge after John James

Audubon exemplifies the importance & preservation of the rich history & heritage of the region

• As Pointe Coupee & West Feliciana parishes are widely regarded for their abundance of wildlife, amazing landscapes, & preserved historic structures from the days of Audubon, it is only fitting that the new bridge be named in his memory

John James Audubon Bridge

• The John James Audubon Bridge is the longest cable-stayed bridge in the Western Hemisphere

What is a Cable-Stayed Bridge?

• Consists of one or more towers with cables that support the deck

tower

deck

cable

Cable-Stayed vs. Suspension

• The towers carry the load on cable-stayed bridges– Cables support the deck

• The two large suspension cables carry the load on suspension bridges– Suspender cables, or

hangers, support the deck

Primary load-bearing structure

Primary load-bearing structure

Cable-Stayed vs. Suspension

• Cable-stayed bridges are good for medium-length crossings

• Suspension bridges are ideal for long-length crossings– The largest single-span bridge in the world

is a suspension bridge

Pearl Bridge’s main span: 6,532 feet (1.2 miles)…over 4x longer than the Audubon

Bridge’s main span!!

Types of Bridges

• Cable-stayed bridge– Hale Boggs Memorial

Bridge (“Luling Bridge”)

• Suspension bridge– Golden Gate Bridge

Types of Bridges

• Cantilever bridge– Horace Wilkinson

Bridge (“New Bridge”)

• Truss bridge– Hampden Bridge

Types of Bridges

• Arch bridge– Sydney Harbour

Bridge

• Beam bridge– Lake Pontchartrain

Causeway

JJA General Facts

• 2.44-mile four-lane elevated bridge structure with two 11-foot travel lanes in each direction with 8-foot outside shoulders and 2-foot inside shoulders

JJA General Facts• Approximately 12 miles of two-lane

roadway connecting LA 1 east of Hospital Road in New Roads to U.S. 61 south of LA 966 and St. Francisville

• Four new intersections at existing LA 1, LA 10, LA 981 (River Road) and U.S. 61 for entry to and exit from the new roadway and bridge

• Seven smaller bridges included in project

JJA General Facts

• Project broke ground in May 2006

• The bridge is the longest cable-stayed bridge in the Western Hemisphere– Main span is 1,583 feet

(almost 1/3 mile)

JJA General Facts• First design-build project

in Louisiana• Bridge is the only

Mississippi River crossing between Baton Rouge and Natchez

• $409 million total cost

Economic Development

• What the Audubon Bridge brings:– A more efficient and reliable route for

Pointe Coupee and West Feliciana– A more efficient route for commerce and

shipping traveling from central Louisiana– Increased traffic provides opportunity for

gas stations, restaurants, hotels and other businesses along the corridor

Audubon Mainspan Quick Facts

• Towers– 520’ height– 2 crossbeams– Anchored by 42

drilled shafts 180’ into the Mississippi

Audubon Mainspan Quick Facts

• Mainspan Deck– 1,583’ length– Approximately 130’ elevation– Composed of 428 precast

concrete panels in 63 segments

– 136 stay cables (4,548 individual strands) attached ranging from 220’ to 830’ in length

– 4’ and 8’ expansion joints

Bridge Opening• Bridge was opened on May

5, 2011 due to rising water in the Mississippi River– High water closed ferry

service

• Construction not complete, but bridge is 100% safe for traffic

• Construction will end in late 2011

Bridge Opening Photos

Tower Construction

• Footings– 42 (21 each) drilled shafts anchored into

Mississippi– Cofferdams constructed above water and

lowered; water then pumped out– Cofferdam specs:

•160’ x 64’ x 55’•2500 tons

Cofferdam Photos

Cofferdam Photos

Cofferdam Lowerings

Tower Construction

• Footings– Pedestals constructed– 35 tower “lifts” of 13’ segments performed

on each tower

Time-Lapse Video

Audubon Bridge Project Fun Facts

500’

1000’

1500’

State Capitol460’

Audubon Tower520’

One Shell Square, N.O.(Tallest Building in

Louisiana)697’

RMS Titanic882’

Empire State Building1,453’

Audubon Bridge Project Fun Facts

• Deck is 241,600 square feet– Approximately four football fields

• Deck weighs approximately 25.7 million lbs.– Approximately 6,000 tons more than the

Eiffel Tower

Audubon Bridge Project Fun Facts

• 5,668 cubic yards of concrete in deck– Would fill almost two Olympic-sized

swimming pools

• Approximately 13.5 miles of cable stays– Would stretch from downtown Baton

Rouge to Denham Springs

Audubon Bridge Project Fun Facts

• Approximately 473 miles of individual strands– Would stretch from Baton Rouge to Atlanta, GA

• Approximately 3,300 miles of wire in the strands– Would stretch from Baton Rouge to Anchorage,

AK• Approximately 500,000 bolts used

– If placed ½ mile apart, would stretch from Earth to the moon

Be sure to visit www.audubonbridge.com!