The Harbor Bridge in Corpus Christi, Texas has had a tumultuous construction process. However, the developer, Flatiron Dragados LLC expects the new Harbor Bridge to be completed in the first half of 2025, said spokeswoman Lynn Allison on Tuesday during a regularly-scheduled Corpus Christi City Council meeting.
"That is the closest I can give you right now, but we are very dedicated to this timeline," she said.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) and developer Flatiron Dragados LLC presented their quarterly progress report Tuesday where a presentation on the bridges progress was shown.
Allison said the project is being completed in sections, with roadwork being a major component to the project as a whole, and 90% of the roadwork has been completed on North Beach.
Corpus Christi Council Member Mike Pusley said he wanted information on what led TXDOT to pause work on the bridge back in July and what solutions have been made since.
There are five design flaws on the structure. Four solutions are provided, with a fifth still to be resolved:
- Inadequate capacity of the pylon drilled shafts: Add additional drilled shafts at foundation extensions at north and south pylons. This work is underway.
- Deficiencies in footing caps, related to proximity of pylons to edge of caps: Add footing extensions to increase foundation capacity and edge distance for north and south pylons. These footing extensions will be supported by the supplemental drilled shafts added as part of Item 1. This work is underway.
- Delta frame design defects: The primary issue is related to the connection between the delta frames and adjacent precast concrete units. The capacity of those connections will be increased by roughening the concrete surfaces and adding rebar that crosses the interface. This work is underway.
- Uplift at intermediate piers: While not yet resolved, FDLLC, Arup, TxDOT, and IBT are exchanging information and anticipate acceptance of design solution in the next few weeks. This portion of the bridge has not yet been constructed; therefore, no field corrections are needed.
- Excessive torsion and other stresses related to crane placement during construction: FDLLC addressed the concerns related to this item by revising their erection plan. They will also incorporate counterweights to account for any potential high wind events as the construction of the main spans nears completion.
Allison said that the portal is an effort to establish transparency about the project, specifically why work was halted on the new bridge in the first place.
"We shared our correspondence on that website for the public to see again in hopes of transparency so the public can understand what's going on in the project," she said. "Today we are adding a table that shows the five critical items that were findings. The reasons we suspended work on the project."
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Source: KIIITV.com
