UCP supplies precast for Chicago pedestrian bridge

Morris, Ill. — Utility Concrete Products (UCP) recently produced precast panels for Chicago’s Peoria Street Pedestrian Bridge. The project was the first to use precast deck panels of this type in Illinois, and UCP is the first producer of this product in the state. The 271-foot-long bridge, completed in the summer of 2015, spans the 1-290/Congress Parkway and is adjacent to the rebuilding of the circle interchange in downtown Chicago.

Construction included 15,272 square feet of 8-inch precast deck panels that were set transverse to the main longitudinal I-beams in just four working days. The use of precast allowed the underlying deck to be assembled in days, as compared to a longer traditional cast in place construction project, where forming and curing will increase the on-site duration. By creating the precast at the UCP plant and delivering it to the site, UCP played a crucial role to construct the bridge swiftly and decrease traffic disruption.

“I hope the success of the Peoria Street pedestrian bridge shows the possibilities that using precast concrete can create,” said Tom Heraty VP of Sales and Engineering. “We are incredibly proud to play a key role in safely constructing a state of the art project so quickly.”

The project was recently featured by the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI).  PCI highlighted the project for its construction technique, which “capitalized on innovative precast concrete Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) techniques that allowed for high strength, thinner bridge sections and reduced delays and lane closures.”

View PCI’s coverage at www.pci.org/Project_Resources/Project_Profiles/Profile_Pages/Peoria_Street_Pedestrian_Bridge/?terms=%22utility%20concrete%20products%22.