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Project:
Veterans' Glass City Skyway
Location:
Toledo, Ohio, USA
Owner:
ODOT
Concrete Producer:
Integrated Resources
Contractor:
Frucon Construction Corporation
Architect/Designer:
Figg Engineering Group
Requirements:
190 spans
181 high strength reinforced concrete piers
152,342 gallons & 42,514 pounds of admixtures
3,057 precast concrete segments, weighing 60 to 100 tons each
190,000 cubic yards of concrete
8,800 feet at completion
ODOT's most expensive undertaking to date, estimated at $220 million
Products:
Situation
The Maumee River Crossing roadway will officially be known as The Veterans' Glass City Skyway. It is the largest concrete bridge built by ODOT to date and is scheduled for completion in mid-2007. The completed roadway will stand approximately 130 feet above water level at its highest point, and will rely on concrete approaches in order to reach its maximum height.
As the admixture supplier of choice on phase one of the Maumee River Crossing project, AXIM Italcementi Group contributed two basic mix designs — comprised of 12 different admixtures — to the concrete in the T-piers, center piers, bridge segments and drilled shafts.
Challenge
Center pier mix design to meet 10,000 PSI
Concrete bridge segments, drilled shafts and T-piers mix designs to meet 6,000 PSI
The shafts contain an epoxy coated cage and high strength concrete and required a tremie to fill
Filling the piers from the bottom up required the initial concrete to remain in a plastic state until the pier was filled (potential time lapse of 6 hours)
Extensive retardation could have affected the targeted 28-day strength
Solution
AXIM answered the challenge by using Stop Set Hydration Control Admixture at a dosage of one pound per yard, while targeting a 6" ±2" slump rate. The concrete temperature was monitored and kept in the low 50s F using cooling tubes.
As a result of the tremie fill, the piers were filled from the bottom up.
Highlights
Five T-Piers were then cast in place on top of the drilled shafts targeting a slump of 4" ±2". These piers carry the approaches over the railroad tracks.
The 3,057 precast concrete bridge segments, the building blocks of the bridge itself, vary in size and weight, depending on where they are located. On average, each approach and main span segment is approximately 10 feet long, 58 feet wide and 8-12 feet deep. Any one segment weighs between 75 and 100 tons each. They were poured at the casting yard about a mile from the bridge, numbered and transported by truck to the site, as needed.
Axim worked closely with concrete producers, project planners and engineers to ensure the right mix design and results. When complete, the Veterans' Glass City Skyway will forever change the Toledo skyline, undoubtedly glistening as a bright spot on Northwestern Ohio's architectural landscape for decades to come. It will provide future generations with a landmark of historical proportions.
The VGCS opened to traffic in spring 2007. Visit www.lookuptoledo.org for more information on the VGCS. | 
