NDOT’s ABC Bridge Between Belden and Laurel Saves Motorists Time and Money

NDOT’s Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) project, built during 2018 on US-20 between Belden and Laurel, involved constructing bridge components in one location and assembling them in another. While the use of traditional construction practices would have closed the highway for six months or more, which was unacceptable, the ABC innovation enabled NDOT to limit the road closure to 58 calendar days, resulting in significant savings of time and money for motorists.

The project received national recognition in the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Every Day Counts (EDC) February 2019 newsletter as one of the top innovations of the month. The article highlighted the features and benefits of ABC, including increased mobility for the traveling public.

The ABC method uses innovative planning, design, materials and construction methods in a safe and cost-effective manner to reduce the onsite construction time that occurs when building new bridges or replacing and rehabilitating existing bridges. By using the ABC method, traffic impacts are reduced because the safety of the traveling public and the flow of the transportation network are directly impacted by onsite construction activities. With reduced onsite construction time, traffic impacts and weather-related time delays, mobility is increased and total project delivery time is improved, resulting in cost savings.

Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC), Self-Consolidating Concrete (SCC) and High Early Concrete were used as connections for prefabricated bridge elements (PBEs) to speed construction on the Middle Logan Creek Bridge, part of a project to improve a 7-mile-long section of US-20. Concrete Industries of Lincoln created the prefabricated parts, including abutments, girders, approach slabs and bridge deck panels. Simon Contractors then assembled these parts on site.

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