February 28, 2017

Bahia Honda Bridge Reconstruction Project

PRESENTATION

OF TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS

Henry M. Flagler

• Born in Hopewell, NY (01-02-1830)

• Standard Oil

– Co-founder with John Rockefeller

and Samuel Adams

– Obtained near complete control

of oil industry in United States

– Violated Sherman Anti-Trust Act

and was dissolved into 34

separate companies

Henry Flagler

• Moved to Florida in 1880s

• Responsible for much of the development of Florida’s East Coast

– Started the Florida East Coast Railway

– Built hotels in Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Ormond Beach, Palm Beach, and Miami

– Considered the father of Palm Beach and Miami

“Flagler’s Folly”

• Extend the FEC Railway to Key West

• 128 mile extension from end of peninsula

• To provide access to proposed Panama Canal and Latin America

• Considered impossible to build

• Self-funded by Flagler

– Between $20 and $50 million

– $482 million to $1.2 billing in 2017 dollars

Overseas Railway

• William J. Krome, Chief Construction Engineer

• 17 miles of bridges

• 20 miles of fill embankment

• 2 mile crossing from Long Key to Conch Key

• 7 mile crossing from Knight’s Key to Little Duck Key

• 24 foot deep, mile-wide crossing at Bahia Honda

Bahia Honda Bridge

• 5,050 ft long

• 247 ft Parker truss span

• 26 Pratt truss spans

– (13) 186 ft spans

– (13) 128 ft spans

• (9) 80 ft plate girder spans

Eighth Wonder of the World

• Three hurricanes slowed and threatened to

halt construction

• 4,000 simultaneous construction workers

• Construction completed in 1912

Labor Day Hurricane of 1935

• Extensive damage to miles of railway

• Florida East Coast Railway bankrupt

• Remains sold to State of Florida for

construction of Overseas Highway

Overseas Highway

• Existing rail infrastructure re-purposed

• Bahia Honda Bridge

– Deck constructed above trusses

– Pile bent approaches constructed

• Opened for traffic on March 29, 1938

Overseas Highway Widening

• Widened to 4-lane divided in 1970s

• Bahia Honda Bridge added to National

Register of Historic Places in 1979

Pedestrian Overlook

• Two Pratt truss spans and the highway approach

• Part of the Bahia Honda State Park

• Closed to pedestrians in 2015 due to

deterioration and safety concerns

Bridge Restoration Team

Approach and Truss Span Inspection

• Performed by FIT Engineering in June 2016

• Sanya Johnson, PE

– Climbed the structure

– Hands-on inspection

– Report of findings and 1,152 photos!

FIT Inspection Findings

Approach Pile

Approach Stringers Bottom Chord

Top Chord

Pier and Abutment Inspection

• Performed by UESI in November 2016

• Team of divers inspected the piers and abutment

– Above and underwater

UESI Inspection Findings

• Pier and Abutment Concrete

– Cracking wide enough for chloride infiltration but no corrosion bleed-out

– Corrosion from protruding formwork support rods

– Isolated areas of poor consolidation

• Foundations

– Undermining due to scour

Preliminary Analysis and Alternatives

• Preliminary Structural Analysis

– Reviewed structure with reduced section properties

– Existing Structure unsafe for pedestrian loads

• Alternatives

– No build

– Field rehabilitation

– Disassembly and shop rehabilitation

– Replacement

Selected Alternative

• Replacement

– Re-use existing piers and abutment

– Replace existing truss and approach spans with replica structure

– Utilize modern sections to replace existing built-up sections