Hunts Point -Bronx NY | Design-Build Contract 1

Hunts Point Contract 1 is a multiple award-winning project that improves access and safety.

What does a $460 million project look like?


Hunts Point 1 Project Flyover from Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson on Vimeo

Honors and Awards
Design-Build Institute of America
National Award — Merit | Transportation
American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) New York
Diamond Award, Transportation Category
American Society of Civil Engineers, Metropolitan Section
Design/Build Project of the Year Award
JMT of New York Inc. (JMT) is the Lead Design Engineer for the Skanska ECCO III HPA Joint Venture team on New York State Department of Transportation’s $460 million Hunts Point Interstate Access Improvement Project – Contract 1. This high-profile, design-build project includes constructing a new interchange to improve access to the Hunts Point peninsula in South Bronx, New York. This project significantly upgraded and improved access and safety for the traveling public while addressing structural and operational deficiencies in this area. The new interchange benefits the local community by improving truck access from the Sheridan Boulevard and Bruckner Expressway/Boulevard to the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, one of the largest food distribution facilities in the world, thereby removing trucks from the local streets.

Project Goals

 

  •  Relieve truck congestion on local streets serving Hunts Point Food Distribution Center.
  • Correct Geometric/Operational Deficiencies.
  • Replace deteriorated infrastructure elements.
  • Improve bicycle/pedestrian access.
  • Improve the quality of life for the community.
  • Project to be constructed under three contracts.
  • Provide long service life and reduced bridge high maintenance elements.
  • Minimize impact to Amtrak, CSX, and MTA.

Innovative Project Highlights

 

  • Four new Bridges over Amtrak/CSX NE Rail Corridor
  • 22 Retaining Walls
  • Fully Integral Pier and Abutments
  • Jointless Bridge Decks
  • Bridge Deck Replacement using Link Slabs
  • Deck Replacement utilizing AccelBridge
  • Load Balancing using Lightweight Cellular Concrete Fill (LCCF)
  • New City Park

The JMT team used a collaborative “solutions-oriented” approach during our weekly Task Force Meetings providing a forum for unconstrained thinking that generated innovative ideas.

JMT performed bridge, highway, and traffic design services.

The JMT Highway team designed the re-alignment, reconstruction, and widening of roadways, and ramps for twelve bridges.

The JMT Structures team completed and oversaw the design of four new bridges and the design of eight bridge rehabilitations. Superstructure types vary and include simple spans, curved steel multi-girder, trusses, and a pedestrian bridge.

The JMT Traffic team designed the signing and marking, and provided quality assurance review for the work zone traffic control and traffic control devices design including signals, roadway lighting, and intelligent transportation systems along Bruckner Expressway/Boulevard and Sheridan Boulevard, as well as local city roads including Edgewater Road.

Improvements include bike lanes, modernized traffic control signals and pedestrian signal improvements at multiple intersections, and a shared-use path. Designs were completed in accordance with the NYSDOT Bridge Design Manual, NYSDOT HDM, NYCDOT standards, AASHTO LRFD, and National MUTCD and the NYS supplement.

Benefits the project provided to the Community and the Traveling Public

MINIMIZE IMPACT TO AMTRAK, CSX AND MTA

  • Simplified design and construction sequencing of Ramp SE and ES bridges over the railroad.
  • Eliminated the need for temporary shoring towers within the railroad ROW.
  • Simplified the erection scheme with less picks over the railroad.
  • Utilized innovative approaches, such as lightweight foam concrete and expanded polystyrene fill to reduce loads along Amtrak, CSX and the MTA subway line.

PROVIDE LONG SERVICE LIFE AND REDUCE BRIDGE HIGH MAINTENANCE ELEMENTS

  • Reduced bridge area by 15,200SF (includes increased deck area of Span SE-1
  • Reduced the number of deck joints
  • Eliminated a minimum of 22 expansion bearings based on the RFP plans.
  • Replaced 29 expansion bearings with fixed bearings at Bruckner bridge over Amtrak/CSX.
  • Provided jointless deck systems utilizing integral piers and integral semi-integral abutments.
  • Provided longer service life for the Westchester Avenue Bridge deck by utilizing SS rebar (Project Enhancement).

A critical component of the project is four bridge crossings of the Northeast (NE) Rail Corridor, which includes Amtrak and CSX, and the Bruckner and Sheridan corridors running parallel to the New York City subway system.

Design elements of this project included:

 

  • New ramps connecting Edgewater Road with Sheridan Boulevard. The ramps span the NE Corridor (Amtrak and CSX) with two new bridges (Ramps SE and ES) over the railroad tied to a fill section.
    • Ramp SE connects NB Sheridan Blvd. to Edgewater Road, while Ramp ES provides the reverse movement of Edgewater Road to NB Sheridan Blvd. Ramp SE over the Railroad is a 173’ long, single-span bridge that is supported by a combination of straight and curved girders.
    • Ramp ES over the Railroad is a 358’ long, two-span bridge that is also supported by a combination of straight and partially curved girders.
    • The ramps are completed by a third structure that spans Bruckner Expressway and Bruckner Blvd. This ramp bridge is a 734’ long seven-span multi-steel plate girder bridge with integral abutments.
  • Deck replacement and widening of the 591’ long, eight-span Westchester Avenue Exit Ramp. • New Ramps SS and SN will be constructed to connect to the Sheridan Boulevard and Bruckner Expressway. This work involves the removal of existing pier bents and the construction of a new fixed frame abutment and a new 154’ long multi-steel plate girder bridge.
  • The Bruckner Expressway and Bruckner Boulevard cross the NE Rail Corridor and the Bronx River. Due to poor soil conditions, the expressway remains on structure to approximately Evergreen Avenue. The project includes the reconstruction of both roadways including the new Bruckner Expressway and Boulevard bridges over the railroad, a new Bruckner Expressway bridge over Bronx River Avenue, and the rehabilitation and widening of the viaduct section.
  • A new pedestrian bridge adjacent to Bryant Avenue spanning the NE Rail Corridor. The design retrofits elements of an existing pedestrian bridge to improve pedestrian accessibility by improving grades, lighting, and railing.
  • The project includes the establishment of a new park to be operated by the NYC Parks Department on the south side of Bruckner Boulevard along the Bronx River. The park design includes landscaping, lighting, appurtenances, and a shared-use path connecting the new park with the existing Concrete Plant Park on the north side of Bruckner Boulevard. A combination of pre-cast concrete and CIP concrete structure will serve as the underpass of both Bruckner Expressway and Bruckner Boulevard.
  • A watermain protection structure for an existing 48” diameter NYCDEP water main under proposed Ramp ES.
  • The project design also includes roadway reconstruction; ADA compliance; signal design; signing and pavement marking; relocation of the existing ITS system; construction phasing and work zone traffic plans; SWM and drainage design; lighting design; and extensive utility design and coordination.
  • The project challenges included meeting the tight clearance requirements for Bruckner Boulevard/Expressway over the railroad and under the Sheridan Expressway.
  • The entire project area consists of fill placed over an existing marsh dating back to the 1800’s. The poor soils created numerous design challenges. A variety of ground improvement methods including load balancing using lightweight fill were employed to address the site conditions.
  • With four major crossings of the NE Corridor, coordination with Amtrak and CSX was paramount to the success of the project. JMT’s Railroad Coordinator was experienced and aware of the issues that are important to the railroads and how to navigate their requirements.