Consulting Civil and Environmental Engineers Since 1972

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Rehabilitation of Chestnut Hill Road Bridge over the Hammonasset River
Town of Madison, Connecticut

THE CHALLENGE: The existing Chestnut Hill Road Bridge spanned the municipal boundary between Killingworth and Madison, Connecticut. The existing superstructure had a clear simple span of 36ft. with a 30ft. clear roadway width, and carried a horizontally curved superelevated roadway over the Hammonasset River. The bridge consisted of monolithically cast reinforced concrete tee-beams and deck on cast-in-place reinforced concrete abutments and wingwalls. The Connecticut Department of Transportation had determined that the bridge was structurally deficient and therefore eligible for funding through the Federal Local Bridge Program. THE SOLUTION: The new bridge consisted of an AASHTO MS18 (HS20) designed adjacent prestressed voided slab superstructure on the existing abutments and wingwalls. The existing abutment seats were modified for the new superstructure and the wingwalls received spot repairs primarily along their deteriorated tops. The new superstructure has a 10.9 m (36ft.) clear simple span, an 8.4 m (28ft.) curb to curb deck width, and a 1.2 m (4ft.) wide sidewalk on the downstream side. A waterproofing membrane was placed on the prestressed units. To enhance site aesthetics, a unique crash-tested, FHWA approved, cast-in-place concrete balustrade bridge rail with a customized concrete mix was provided. Rail concrete was integrally colored and sandblasted to achieve a “weathered” appearance. A weathering grade metal beam rail was included at all four approaches including painted transition sections to prevent rust stained end blocks as the rail system weathers. For the construction contract, a two-part Notice to Proceed was issued to minimize roadway closure time. Chestnut Hill Road was closed for the construction of the new bridge, which was completed in 2001 after approximately 5 months of physical construction. Final construction cost was approximately $400,000.		Complete bridge engineering services were provided by Nathan L. Jacobson & Associates, Inc., of Chester, Connecticut. Project management was directed by a principal of the firm specializing in bridge design. Services included survey, planning, design, right-of-way maps, permit procurement, bidding, shop drawing review, and periodic construction administration and inspection.

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