www.concreteproducts.com January 2015 • 65
FEATURE
COVER STORY
The new Fox River Bridge will be side-
by-side 1,315-ft.-long structures rising
40 feet above the waterway. Work began
with construction of two 200-ft. plat-
forms in the Fox River under the bridge.
They are about 185 feet from each bank,
leaving a 180-ft. gap for river fow. The
platforms are constructed with sheet pil-
ing on four sides driven deep into the
bed of the river then flled with 3-in.
rocks, forming a platform base which is
used to move equipment for pier casting.
The eastbound structure's new portion—
shown here from the east approach
(right) and west bank (top)—will allow
for three lanes of traffc in each direc-
tion to be shifted from the westbound to
the eastbound bridge in 2015, while the
former is rebuilt and widened. The east-
bound structure's remaining (center)
portion will be reconstructed in 2016.
The new Fox River Bridge is emerging as
a showcase of new versus old prestressed
concrete engineering, where modern bulb
tees more than 7 feet deep and nearly
170 feet long succeed vintage I girders of
half the depth and length, and enable a
reduction of piers from 14 to seven.