PESC, a H&H company worked closely with partner firms to develop aesthetic details for the direct connector bridges. In particular, the appearance of bridge columns and bent caps were designed to resemble the existing bridge structures to remain at the intersection. Such consideration required a careful balance between aesthetic detail, cost-effectiveness, and constructability. Early in design, PESC conducted a study to determine the most cost-effective bridge length and wrap-around retaining wall heights at each abutment.
DCNN bridge will be 3,915 feet long with 35 spans that connects US-183 NB with IH-35 NB. The direct connector will span over SUPs, existing business driveways and parking lots, and lower roadways, including an entrance ramp, an exit ramp, and the NB frontage roads of both highways. The superstructure of DCNN will typically consist of prestressed concrete U-beams, with one 220ft steel tub girder span. The substructure of the bridge will utilize hammerhead bents, with straddle bents used where needed to span across the lower access ramps. Substructures bent caps and columns will be designed and detailed with both cast-in-place and precast options in order to give the contractor flexibility during construction and to accelerate the construction schedule. Foundations will consist of CIP footings on 2- or 4- drilled shafts. To avoid conflicts with proposed and existing underground utilities, careful coordination with other disciplines was required, including water, wastewater, drainage, electricity, illumination and ITS.
Interchange improvements at IH-35 and US 183 are intended to alleviate traffic congestion and provide better access from one highway to the other.
