STH 64 Bridge | Taylor County

Type:	Bridge Rehabilitation
Client:	WisDOT Northwest Region (Eau Claire)
KL’s Role:	Prime Consultant
Location:	Taylor County, Wisconsin
Limits:	Medford to MerrillEast Fork Little Black River (B-60-44)
Length:	0.057 miles
Design Complete:	February 2018
Construction Complete:	November 2018
Construction Cost:	$600,000

Engineering Elements

• Accelerated Design Schedule
• Traffic & Crash Analysis
• Field Survey
• Intersection & Roadway Design
• Temporary Traffic Signals
• Traffic Control Construction Staging Plans
• Transportation Management Plan
• Work Zone Analysis
• Environmental Coordination & Permits
• Environmental Document (PEC)
• Design Study Report
• Utility Coordination
• Structure Rehabilitation Plans – Redeck
• Plan, Specification & Estimate Submittal (PS&E)

KL Engineering designed improvements to the STH 64 bridge over the East Fork Little Black River in Taylor County, Wisconsin. This project was designed on an accelerated schedule, taking it from preliminary design to PS&E in just four months. The bridge deck was widened and replaced for a single span 45-inch prestressed girder bridge. To prevent future corrosion and to meet MASH 2016 crash-tested bridge railing criteria, 42-inch concrete parapets were used on the new deck.

Bridge Deck Improvements

The existing deck, built in 1987, had suffered through many northern winters and was starting to show its age.  The advanced deterioration of the edge of deck was a safety concern with crumbling concrete and rusting reinforcing steel.The new deck design included a taller, closed parapet to meet current crash testing requirements, improve safety, and keep roadway runoff from corroding the edge of the deck.  Additional structural improvements included extending the parapets and the use of asphaltic flumes to prevent erosion around the wing walls.

Staged Construction

Viable detour routes for this portion of STH 64 were over 40 miles long.  To reduce impacts to this long truck route, the bridge was redecked in stages.  After careful analysis of the geometry of the structure, we were able to maintain a single 13-foot lane on the structure during construction.  A single lane of bi-directional traffic was controlled through the work zone by temporary signals.  A private entrance was located within the work zone and a temporary signal was phased with the STH 64 signals to provide safe access for the landowner.

Safety Improvements

The new 42-inch closed concrete parapet will provide additional protection for roadway users. An added benefit of the closed parapet is that it will help extend the life of the deck by preventing roadway runoff from deteriorating the edge of the deck.  Guard rail for the bridge approaches was also upgraded to provide additional safety for the traveling public.The project was constructed in 2018.Construction Cost: $600,000