Bridge Symposium
Since 2004, the SEAOI Annual Midwest Bridge Symposium has provided a forum for bridge engineers to share analysis, design and construction information from recent projects with unique and distinguishing characteristics. The 150+ attendees represent every aspect of the bridge industry: design, construction management, material suppliers, academia, general contracting, owner representatives from various Departments of Transportation + FHWA.
The 14th Annual Midwest Bridge Symposium will take place on Thursday, April 27, 2017.
Image: 2016 Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards - Best Bridge
130th and Torrence Avenue Grade Separation, Alfred Benesch & Company,
Image courtesy of Benesch
See who's coming!
2017 Program
Click on a presentation for more information about the topic and speaker.
7:30 - 8:00 |
Registration and Breakfast |
8:00 – 8:10 |
Welcome and Introduction to the Symposium |
8:10 - 8:40 |
35th Street Pedestrian Suspension Bridge |
8:40 – 9:10 |
|
9:10 - 9:20 |
Break |
9:20 -9:50 |
Adams Street Bascule Bridge Construction Engineering |
9:50 - 10:20 |
Design of Riyadh Metro System Segmental Viaducts |
10:20 - 10:30 |
Break |
10:30 – 11:00 |
|
11:00 - 11:30 |
|
11:30 - 11:40 |
Break |
11:40 - 12:10 |
Case Studies of Complex Girder Erection |
12:10 – 12:50 |
Lunch |
12:50 – 1:30 |
|
1:30 - 1:40 |
Break |
1:40 - 2:10 |
Angus Macdonald Bridge Re-decking Project |
2:10– 2:40 |
Erection and Demolition Stability of Girder Bridges |
2:40 – 2:50 |
Break |
2:50 – 3:20 |
|
3:20 - 3:50 |
|
3:50 - 4:00 |
Break |
4:00 – 4:30 |
|
4:30 – 4:55 |
Pearl Sessions
|
4:55 – 5:00 |
Raffle and adjourn |
LOCATION
Maggiano's Little Italy
111 W. Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL
Please use entrance on Grand Avenue, 1/2 block west of Clark Street.
REGISTRATION
Registration and a continental breakfast will be available at 7:30 am; the program begins at 8. Lunch will be provided. The program concludes at 5 pm.
The registration fee is $300 for members, $400 for non-members.
EXHIBITOR OPPORTUNITIES - SOLD OUT
The exhibit fee is $825 and includes recognition the program, mention from the podium, one admission to the Bridge Symposium, and access to participants during breakfast, lunch and breaks during the day.
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
There are four different levels of corporate sponsorship:
- Platinum: $1,000 – Recognition in program, poster exhibit at event, and recognition for sponsoring lunch.
- Gold: $850 – Recognition in the program, poster exhibit at event, and recognition during the technical session for sponsoring one of the following: Continental Breakfast, Morning Break or Afternoon Break
- Silver: $600 – Recognition in the program and poster exhibit at event
- Bronze: $300 – Recognition in the program
About the Presenters
Brian Umbright, PE, SE, is a Vice President in exp’s Transportation Practice and works out of the Chicago office. As a structural engineer, his expertise has focused on bridge engineering, including all aspects of inspection, planning, design and construction oversight. No matter the bridge type or project, Mr. Umbright tries to develop simple and constructible solutions that are both economical and durable. Entering his 23rd year in the industry, Mr. Umbright’s primary role is managing diverse teams of engineers and specialists to deliver complex urban transportation projects. Active in the industry, he has served on committees for both the Illinois chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC-IL) and the Illinois Road and Transportation Builder’s Association (IRTBA). Mr. Umbright received his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and is a professional engineer in numerous states throughout the Midwest.
The iconic new 35th Street Pedestrian Bridge provides a dramatic crossing of Lake Shore Drive and the Metra Railroad, connecting the Bronzeville community with Chicago’s lakefront. At 620 feet in length, it is the City’s longest pedestrian bridge, and one of the only mono-cable bridges in the US. This unique suspension bridge was designed as a signature structure that is unique in its elegant simplicity. As a self-anchored bridge, the design uses a single suspension cable extending to each end of the bridge and a reverse horizontal curve that provides expanded panoramic views of the park, Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline.
Robert Magliola PE, SE is a Vice President at Parsons managing their Chicago structural engineering practice. He received his BSCE and MSCE degrees from Purdue University, and has thirty years of experience in project management and structural bridge design. He is a Parsons Certified Project Manager and is experienced in managing large multidiscipline staffs on combined bridge and road transportation projects. His particular area of expertise is the design of steel I-girder and tub girder bridges of both tangent and curved plan, and he is a designated subject matter expert for such within Parsons.
Parsons is the Engineer of record for the new 1,130 foot-long three-span steel-plate-girder bridge, with a 480-foot-long main span, 180 feet above the floor of the Rouchleau mine pit. Project challenges included an accelerated design, steel erection method, and construction of 180-foot-tall piers. Parsons led the design team and worked collaboratively with MnDOT and Kiewit (CMGC) to validate the structure type selection and develop delivery strategies to directly address the project risks associated with schedule, the northern Minnesota environment and the unique terrain of the open pit mine. Within 52 days of notice to proceed (NTP), Parsons delivered the complete superstructure steel plans.
Stan Kaderbek is a State of Illinois Licensed Structural Engineer and Licensed Professional Engineer in too many states to mention. He currently serves as Milhouse’s Vice President of Civil and Transportation overseeing a group of over 80 engineers and technicians who are far brighter than he. Stan’s checkered past includes working for consultants, a contractor and public agencies including the City of Chicago and Chicago Transit Authority. If he had spare time, he would learn Old English so that he could finally understand Beowulf. But since he doesn’t have spare time, he doesn’t understand Old English and is now forgetting New English.
Chicago’s Adams Street Bridge over the Chicago River and viaduct west of the River were built in 1927. Milhouse was retained by Walsh Construction to provide construction engineering services for the rehabilitation work. Work included rehabilitation of the S-girder and live load bearings and replacement the west leaf’s longitudinal girder supporting the trunnion. Milhouse devised a procedure to temporarily support the leaf and replace the longitudinal girder in its entirety as well as raising and lowering the leaves without motors. The presentation will describe the procedures used to replace the longitudinal girder and highlight other challenges addressed during construction.
Firooz Panah, PE is Vice President of engineering with AECOM and has over 33 years of experience in bridge and structural engineering. Currently he is in charge of complex bridges in the New England region of the firm. He has designed hundreds of bridges of various types in his career with particular focus on concrete segmental bridges. He has served as project engineer or manager on several mega and design-build projects. He holds a BSCE and MSCE degrees in civil and structural engineering from the George Washington University and the University of Michigan respectively. He is registered professional engineer in several states.
The presentation focuses on Line 1 and 2 of the Riyadh Metro Project and describes the design and construction methods utilized to construct over 21 km of precast segmental guideway viaducts. The presenter provides a description of the project, touches on the design criteria, provides an overview and the superstructure and substructure types, and described the construction methods, both span-by-span, and balanced cantilever. It provides and overview of the precast yard where short line method has been used to cast 6500 segments of various types including segments for single track, double track guideways as well as station segments.
Marcos Loizias, PE is Vice President, Divisional Operations and National Bridge Principal and Bridge Practice Group Leader for Jacobs Buildings & Infrastructure Americas. He has over 34 years of professional experience, during which time he has been in charge of the planning, design, construction reviews, independent checking, and construction engineering of all types of steel and concrete long-span bridges (cable-stayed, arch, truss, girder, segmental) and major viaducts throughout the United States and overseas. He has a track record in designing economical, durable and award winning signature bridges. Mr. Loizias is experienced in conventional design/bid/build as well as design/build and P3 projects. A renowned bridge expert, he has also been active in technical committees, serves as expert advisor, and has authored and/or presented numerous technical publications. Mr. Loizias holds a B.S. degree in Civil/Structural Engineering and M.S. degree in Structural Engineering and Mechanics from Cornell University. He is a registered Professional Engineer in 25 states.
The Lewis and Clark Bridge, an important component of the Ohio River Bridges East End Crossing, is a major new crossing over the Ohio River located approximately eight miles northeast of downtown Louisville, Kentucky, to connect the east end of Louisville near Prospect to Utica in Southern Indiana. It opened to traffic on December 18, 2016, completing the linkage of KY 841 to IN 265 and benefiting local area commuters by reducing commute time and also travelers passing through the Louisville area from the north or south by providing for an alternate and very accessible route that bypasses the urban traffic of downtown Louisville.
Bora Jang is currently a Ph.D. Student and teaching assistant in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology. She received her M.S. in Structural Engineering from Lehigh University, and M.S. and B.S. in Architectural Engineering both from Chung-Ang University in South Korea. Bora’s current research focuses on the fatigue analysis and condition assessment of highway bridges. Among her past research include seismic performance evaluation of beam-to-column connections using laboratory experiments and the thermomechanical analysis of beam-to-column connections exposed to post-earthquake fire. She is a member of Chi-Epsilon, SEAOI, Tau-Beta-Pi and ASCE.
As the number of requests for permits to use bridges by heavy trucks increases, there is a concern over the potential for rapid fatigue damage to the affected bridges. The damage may especially become critical for bridges that have been designed for lower truck loads than those currently used in practice. To limit damage, and to indirectly impose a cap on the number of overload permits, a modification factor in the bridge rating equation to incorporate the fatigue damage potentials from overloads is introduced. This factor is derived based on the amount of fatigue damage from overloads.
Andrew Keaschall is a graduate of the University of Illinois where he received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. After graduation, he joined Alfred Benesch and Company where he is now the Group Manager for the Structural Department of the Illinois Division. Andrew has worked on several high profile projects including the Wacker Drive Reconstruction in downtown Chicago and a new major bridge that will carry I-74 over the Mississippi River. Andrew also has a leading role in the Construction Engineering practice at Benesch where he assists Contractors in addressing some of their most pressing project challenges.
This presentation highlights four case studies associated with girder erection on complex, long-span plate girder bridges. Each bridge is located in different geographic locations (Chicago, St. Louis, and two in Tennessee) and were erected by different Contractors using different methods. Each construction technique was selected to address the constraints of the project and meet the required project delivery timeline. All four bridges are over 1,500’ long with main spans ranging from 250’ to 490’. Three of the projects involve work over water and one project is a multi-unit curved girder flyover bridge.
We are pleased to welcome John E. Breen, Nasser I Al-Rashid Chair Emeritus in Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin as our Keynote Speaker, who will present The ABCD's of Bridge Building -Affordable, Beautiful, Constructable, and Durable.
John E. Breen graduated from Marquette University, the University of Missouri and received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas in 1962. A former construction engineering officer in the U.S. Navy and faculty member at Missouri, he holds the Nasser I. Al-Rashid Chair at The University of Texas at Austin. He has received five university and national awards for his teaching. Dr. Breen has made many significant contributions in structural concrete research, winning 10 medals for published papers. He has been a leader in the development of design and construction standards and a consultant for both structural concrete buildings and bridges. An Honorary Member of ACI (American Concrete Institute), he has chaired the ACI Building Code Committee. He has been elected to both the USA National Academy of Engineering and the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences. He has been widely recognized internationally, receiving the FIP Medal in 1990, the IABSE International Award of Merit in 2000, and the fib Freyssinet Medal in 2002. He was named a Distinguished Engineering Graduate by the College of Engineering in 1991.
The interrelation of aesthetics with overall bridge design, construction, and maintenance is presented. Beauty is highly desirable, but aesthetics must always be balanced with consideration of efficiency, constructability, and attention to durability. Examples show that great beauty is completely compatible with efficient, fast construction techniques and that beauty is greatly degraded if proper detailing is not provided for durability and control of staining. Rapid construction techniques are important and valuable, and they can be completely compatible with enhanced aesthetics and environmental sensitivity. A case study examines two attractive but different bridges that were designed with different intents for blending with their surroundings. They differed in initial cost by a factor of 10, and the higher-cost structure also will require more intensive maintenance to preserve its appearance. The enigma of deciding “What price beauty?” is clearly illustrated in this comparison but can not be definitely answered because of the societal and political factors involved. The presentation concludes with a summary of new bridge post-tensioning materials and shows their effective corrosion control cost comparisons. (Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Photo courtesy of J Muller)
Kevin Smith, P.E., P.Eng. is a Chief Engineer for American Bridge Company, leading the effort for temporary works design for the Angus Macdonald Bridge Re-decking Project. Kevin has worked on several long span bridge projects, including the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver, British Columbia, which underwent a similar re-decking 16 years prior. Many of the equipment designs and procedures prepared by Kevin decades earlier are being reinvented for the successful completion of this important project. Kevin manages the engineering staff in American Bridge’s Western Division in Concord, California.
The entire stiffening truss and road deck of the Angus L. Macdonald suspension bridge is being replaced. During full bridge weekend closures, forty-six individual truss segments will be removed from the bridge and the 20m or 10m long gaps in the roadway will be spanned with a new orthotropic deck truss segment. After each segment is replaced the existing bridge and new deck will be reconnected in time to re-open for Monday morning traffic. This presentation will discuss the means and methods that were designed by American Bridge’s in-house engineering staff for construction of this complex project.
John Ashton holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering and a minor in Archaeology from Rice University in Houston, Texas. He holds an M.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from UC Berkeley and is a practicing licensed structural engineer with completed projects that may be found in all four hemispheres of the globe. Outside of engineering, he has many diverse interests, including police procedural mysteries, board and card games both ancient and modern, languages in the Romance and Germanic/Scandinavian families, mixology, model-building, and collecting antiques. Currently he is producing one of three medieval-period rock ‘n’ roll musicals which he recently wrote.
A new FHWA/NHI Manual and Training Course “Engineering for Structural Stability in Bridge Construction” was developed by Collins Engineers to provide guidance to bridge erection engineers, resident/construction engineers, and design engineers to assist in the design and evaluation of bridge superstructures during construction. Proper assessment of bridge superstructure performance during construction is critical to ensure that member instability or deformations do not lead to unsafe conditions. The course, summarized in this presentation, will hopefully remedy the lack of uniformity in standards and lack of engineering knowledge regarding what is often the most critical stage of a bridge’s life: its construction.
William L. Bailey, Jr. PE SE, is Executive Vice President and Chief Structural Engineer for CMT. Bill’s resume includes 28 years of structural engineering and transportation experience. His bridge experience covers from preliminary layout and structure type determination to analysis, design and construction services. Notable projects in his career include the Shippingsport Bridge Replacement over the Illinois River for IDOT, the I‐355 / I‐55 interchange for the Illinois Tollway and the Adams Street Viaduct Replacement for CDOT. Bill was lead structural engineer for the Barrington Road Bridge over I‐90 and the adjacent pedestrian bridge providing access for the PACE BRT (currently under construction).
Our highway system is no longer just about cars and trucks; transit and pedestrian modes are playing an increasing role. Major metropolitan centers have begun implementing infrastructure improvements around expressway based BRT. Structural solutions play a major role in making BRT stations successful and structural engineers are effectively assisting in design of the “rubber tired train stations” of the future. This presentation focuses on the reconstruction of the Barrington Road / I‐90 interchange and the structural solutions implemented to not only improve access and efficiency on the roadway, but provide a new means of transit for the Chicagoland Area.
Md Ashiquzzaman is an engineer in the field of structural/ bridge engineering. He has both wide professional and research experience in structural engineering. He completed his B.Sc. in civil engineering from Bangladesh University of Professionals. Then he pursued his Master’s in earthquake engineering from Kookmin University, Seoul, South Korea. With the dream of learning the most advanced and most cutting-edge knowledge in bridge engineering, he entered into United States and recently achieved the Ph.D. degree on bridge engineer at Saint Louis University. He has vast knowledge on bridge and building design, seismic evaluation and retrofitting, structural health monitoring, earthquake engineering.
Concrete decks often overhang past the exterior girders in order to increase the total width of the deck. The overhanging portion of the deck results in unbalanced eccentric loads to the exterior girders, which are generally largest during construction. These eccentric loads come primarily from the bridge placing and finishing equipment as well as fresh concrete and other construction live loads that can create outward rotation of the exterior girders. Field observation shows that the current rotation prevention systems cannot work effectively during construction. In this study, three improved bracing systems are proposed based on experiment and finite element analysis.
Michael O’Connor, PE, is a Senior Project Manager at Alfred Benesch & Company with more than 24 years of experience in the design and inspection of railroad structures. He is a 1992 graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a registered professional engineer in several states. Mr. O’Connor is also an active member of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association Committee 8 – Concrete Structures, and the American Society of Civil Engineers. He has delivered bridge projects for numerous Class I and short line railroad clients who have come to rely on his industry expertise.
The busy commercial intersection of Rollins Road and Illinois Route 83 in Lake County, Illinois, had become a location that residents and shoppers avoided. With 50 trains per day, combined with the short distance to Hainesville Road and inadequate turning lane capacity on all legs, the intersection experienced backups of sometimes several miles along Route 83. The Rollins Road Gateway project included a new railroad grade separation with a new railroad bridge, a shifted Hainesville Road alignment and a new, wider intersection. The project significantly reduced delays and spurred economic growth in the area.