Fall River, MA
Brightman Street Bridge
Scope/Solutions
During the six-year rehabilitation of the Brightman Street Bridge, SGH provided investigation and concrete design services and performed testing, analysis, and thermal modeling of mass concrete placements.
SGH helped evaluate the following:
- Issues with tremie placement for an underwater cofferdam seal that compromised concrete quality
- Contractor concerns about a concrete mix for approach span pier pile caps and bascule span fender beams
- Plugged concrete pumplines during placement of the east bascule pier pile cap in cold weather
- Mass concrete placements
Over the course of these projects, SGH completed the following:
- Investigated tremie failure and blocked pumplines
- Determined the cause of the failed mass concrete placement in the cofferdam seal
- Performed petrographic analysis, adiabatic heat signature testing, and thermal simulations at varying placement temperatures, weather conditions, and curing periods
- Modeled heat generation during curing
- Retrieved and tested concrete core samples
- Designed and tested physical properties of a replacement tremie concrete mix and monitored a trial placement
- Proposed concrete aggregate and mixes to suit each project
- Specified tremie and mass concrete sequencing and placement methodology
- Recommended ways to avoid freezing pumplines, including increasing the concrete temperature, insulating pumplines, and filling the pumplines with hot water prior to pumping the concrete
- Monitored concrete placements for the 2002 and 2004 projects
Project Summary
Solutions
Repair & Rehabilitation
Services
Structures | Advanced Analysis | Applied Science & Research
Markets
Infrastructure & Transportation
Client(s)
Modern Continental Construction
Specialized Capabilities
Temporary Construction | Marine & Civil Works | Computational Mechanics | Physical Testing | Materials Science | Microscopy
Key team members


Additional Projects
Northeast
General Edwards Bridge
The General Edwards Bridge is a multiple-span steel-girder bridge over the mouth of the Saugus River where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. In 2003, a portion of concrete fell from the counterweight into the water. SGH performed a condition assessment and designed emergency and permanent repairs.
Northeast
Eastern Maine Medical Center Parking Garage
The Eastern Maine Medical Center expansion included a new parking garage to connect to the existing garage and the addition of snow-melt units to facilitate snow removal. SGH was the prime consultant, structural engineer of record, and the precast concrete specialty engineer for the project.