East Chicago, Ind., November 13, 2019 – Cline Avenue Bridge, LLC, owned and operated by United Bridge Partners, announces the completion of a construction milestone: all 685 concrete segments that will comprise the bridge’s driving deck are now complete, and over 270 have been erected since March 2019. This achievement further demonstrates that a significant portion of behind-the-scenes work is finished and that the project is well on its way.
The segments were cast in a 24,600-square-foot building located at the project site using local labor and materials, which allowed for their manufacture in a controlled environment and for their storage nearby for ready access. Having an on-site casting building offers the additional advantages of allowing crews to cast throughout all four building seasons while reducing transportation, labor, and material costs typically associated with trucking in segments.
When complete, the structure will serve as an elegant landmark that appears as one seamless, fluid structure – the result of countless decisions all aimed at achieving this result. Every single-cell box girder segment is engineered for its exact location within the structure with features such as curves and angles built into each one, which also means that no two are identical. Their geometry offers strength without added weight and will allow maintenance and inspection personnel to access to the bridge from the inside without disruptions to traffic. Made from a custom mix of high-strength concrete, each segment weighs between 60 and 90 tons.
Since Construction of the Cline Avenue Bridge began in June of 2017, the foundations and substructure have been completed, superstructure erection is well underway, existing steel bridge preservation work is complete, and now superstructure segment fabrication is complete. When the bridge opens to the public in 2020, it will help reduce congestion and emissions, spur economic growth, and provide local first responders with a more efficient route while making Lake County more accessible. Project and progress updates can be found on the company’s social media sites, which are linked through their website at clineave.com.
Cline Avenue Bridge, LLC is owned by United Bridge Partners (UBP), a private infrastructure company that finances, designs, builds, owns, and operates private toll bridges across the United States, meeting the needs of under-funded state and municipal governments to replace failing bridge infrastructure. UBP is funded by a $1 billion capital commitment from the New American Bridges Fund, an affiliate of American Infrastructure Funds, and uses no local, state, or federal financing to accomplish private bridge projects. The Cine Avenue Bridge will reconnect SR 912 to Interstate 90 and serve as “The Gateway of Lake County” while providing the most direct route into Lake County and the most timesaving route to Chicago. For more information, visit clineave.com.