Oldcastle Precast provides prestressed girders for bridge replacement

Perris, Calif. — As part of the City of Norwalk’s Firestone Boulevard Bridge Over San Gabriel River Replacement Project that connects Norwalk and Downey, Oldcastle Precast’s Perris-California facility manufactured the prestressed concrete girders to construct the new 239 foot Firestone Boulevard Bridge.

The Firestone Blvd. Bridge Replacement Project involves the replacement of the existing, structurally deficient Firestone Boulevard Bridge at the San Gabriel River in its entirety with a new bridge to meet current standards with wider sidewalks, center median and shoulders. The same number of travel lanes (six) will be provided on the new bridge. The new bridge will improve existing approach widths, thus eliminating bottlenecks and improves efficiency while accommodating future vehicle capacities in both directions.

The general contractor for the project, Reyes Construction Inc., contracted Oldcastle Precast-Perris to produce a total of 39 prestressed concrete, 4-foot-high, wide flange bridge girders, ranging in length from 71 feet to 95 feet, for the new $9.5 million bridge replacement project. The wide flange bridge girders, similar to an I-beam, support the bridge decking.

The bridge replacement project is being constructed in three stages. Stage One consists of the removal of the existing north half of the bridge and construction of a new north half. Stage Two involves the removal of the existing south half of the bridge and construction of a new south half. Stage Three will include the closure pour (where concrete is poured to seal the two halves of the bridge together) and completion of the center median.

For the first stage, the new north half of the bridge, Oldcastle Precast provided a total of 21 wide flange girders, 14 girders at 71 feet in length, weighing approximately 35 tons (70,000 lbs.) and seven girders at 95 feet in length, weighing approximately 47 tons (94,000 lbs.). All of the precast prestressed girders were erected in three days, August 4, 5, and 6, 2014.

During the second stage, the new south half of the bridge, Oldcastle Precast will provide a total of 18 wide flange girders, 12 girders at 71 feet in length and six girders at 95 feet in length. Since the second phase is not scheduled until late October 2014; Oldcastle Precast will be storing the balance of the girders at their facility.  

When complete, Oldcastle Precast-Perris, California will have supplied and erected a total of 39 wide flange girders for this bridge. The girders have a form finish on the sides and soffit and the ends are square. The girders were manufactured per PCI Tolerance Manual MNL-116, Concrete fci: 4,600 psi and fc: 6,000 psi were factored in.

Completion of the entire project is scheduled for December 2015.