Historic Willimansett Bridge Rehabilitation

Recovering a Project Following Contractor Default

The departure of the bridge project’s existing contractor created added inconveniences for the drivers and pedestrians who rely on the Willimansett Bridge. Northern Construction began work with the goal of minimizing the duration of the closure. 

By closely coordinating with stakeholders like MassDOT, Benesch, subcontractors and field personnel, we implemented a system that allowed multiple aspects of the project to proceed at once. These included:

• Structural steel repairs
• Bridge deck construction
• Utility work
• Painting

We also carefully coordinated manpower and bandwidth to optimize processes. Where necessary, crews worked extended days and double shifts to accelerate construction. However, the same rigorous safety and quality standards were applied throughout the process.

Preserving and Strengthening the Historic Structure

At the time of this project, the Willimansett Bridge was already more than 120 years old and a familiar landmark in the area. The rehabilitation project had to improve the bridge’s structural performance while maintaining its historic steel-truss configuration. In an effort to ensure we met both goals, we leveraged a couple of different engineering solutions:

• A site-specific seismic assessment minimized the amount of seismic retrofit work required. This also helped maintain the integrity of the existing structure. 
• Temporary post-tensioning was used to facilitate the complete replacement of the truss bottom chords.

By implementing these techniques, we were able to complete our work more efficiently and without unnecessary structural alterations.

Maintaining Pedestrian Access

The Willimansett Bridge was closed to vehicle traffic throughout the rehabilitation project, but pedestrian access had to remain available. To accommodate the compressed project timeline, we developed an updated pedestrian-access plan that added to our efficiency.

The original plan divided sidewalk construction into two phases, requiring one side of the bridge at a time to remain open to pedestrians. To streamline the process, we developed a crossover that guided pedestrians through an open portion of the bridge deck. We were able to construct both sidewalks during a single phase without sacrificing pedestrian or contractor access.

Painting Through the Winter

The bridge required new paint, but given the project’s timeline, much of this work needed to be completed in the winter. As a result, there were concerns that the colder temperatures could extend the timeline, delay completion and create negative conditions for optimal painting. 

We developed contingency plans that allowed us to maintain progress despite the season. Coating work was done under full containment using temporary heating. Besides creating the right conditions for painting, the processes supported the hazardous-materials controls necessary when working around lead paint on the existing structures.

Working Near River and Railroad

The Willimansett Bridge spans the Connecticut River and sits adjacent to the active Pioneer Valley Railroad. The construction area was somewhat constrained, and we had to adopt various techniques to avoid overly disturbing the area or interrupting normal rail operations. 

The work involved excavation support, utility relocations, environmental permitting and limited access around the existing structure. As part of the process, we developed detailed staging plans and coordinated carefully among bridge crews, railroad stakeholders, utility personnel and environmental specialists. Regarding the railroad specifically, we used a slide-rail shoring system to support excavation near the railroad while minimizing vibration impacts.