St. Lucie River train bridge report

0

Underwater Substructure Inspection

Brian C. Rheault, P.E.

BRIDGE DESIGN ASSOCIATES, INC.

September 2015

FECR Bridge over the St. Lucie River


Bridge Design Associates, Inc. | Page 2

Summary of Structure and Findings This structure consists of fixed spans and a single leaf bascule span. The bascule span is approximately 50 ft. To the north of the bascule span there are sixteen bents spanning approximately 400 ft. To the south of the bascule span there are thirty bents spanning approximately 800 ft.

The wood fender system and the superstructure were not included in this study.

The inspection began with the underwater investigation of the north bascule pier support and 11 of the 16 bents to the north. At the time of inspection, bents to the north of bent 11 exposed with only 2 ft of water at the base.

This was followed by inspection of the south bascule pier support and 21 of the 30 bents to the south.

The north and south bascule supports consist of reinforced concrete piers which extend below the natural bottom. There were no indications of exposed piling foundations at these locations. It should be noted on the east end of the north pier, there is a 5 ft grade change as it slopes towards the channel. No undermining was noted, as the pier remains buried below grade. On the south face of the south pier, there is a sunken boat approximately 30 ft long adjacent to the structure. At the time of inspection we found limited info on the sunken boat due to poor visibility and heavy marine growth on the vessel; however it appears to be a fiberglass boat with the bow facing east and the keel facing the south pier at the bottom. In the areas not obstructed by the boat, there was no indication of scour or undermining.

The bents closest to the north and south piers have 3 piles, however all other bents typically have 4 piles. All piles have round concrete pile jackets. The typical cap width is 2’-8”. The typical pile is 7’ circumference, 2’ diameter. In summary, there were two isolated areas with minor scour on the north bents piles, and no scour noted on the bents piles. The pile jackets are in generally good condition with typical hairline cracking from the top of the pile to the splash zone ranging from 4 in to 18 in. The pile caps typically have cracking on the underside of the cap and cracks on the outer faces on the lower portions of the cap. The cracks range in width from hairline crack to up to ¼ in wide in isolated areas. The cracks noted should be considered for eventual spall repair rather than injection repair due to the pattern of cracking and the consistency with spalling noted at some of the other pile cap corners. The piles typically have minor concrete voids formed during construction and do not reduce the effectiveness of the pile jackets. There are some isolated areas which have areas with large voids accompanied by soft or brittle concrete. Such piles should be



monitored for the need for replacement of the pile jackets. Detailed info on the location and severity of the damage can be found in the inspection notes below.

Inspection Notes The north bents are numbered starting at the closest to the north bascule pier and heading towards the north shoreline. Piles are numbered and inspected from west to east. Hairline cracks are noted as minor cracks. Cracks with approximately credit card thickness are noted as moderate cracks. Cracks significantly wider than credit card thickness are denoted as ¼”, ½” etc. Location Comments North Bascule Pier (10:35) 04/29/2015

5 Ft Sloped grade at east end of pier towards channel. (10:44:40) However there is no scour or undermining present. East face has six 1” dia. holes with fasteners. Fasteners have minor corrosion. 1” x 2 ½” x ½” Spall (10:48:45) East Corner has minor spall 3” x 2” x ½” with exposed aggregate (10:52:35) West face has areas with rough finish and exposed aggregate up to 1” (10:58:30) There is a ledge below water approx. 5 ft up from bottom and extends 1 ft from face of pier, has a rough finish (11:02 East) (11:07 West) Drilled Holes (3) x ½” dia. 1 ft east of west end on south side (11:11:40) Minor spall 2” x 6” with exposed reinforcing (11:14:49) Exposed rebar on underside of upper band (11:16:19) 5 Ft Vertical crack at center of pier starting at top, top 18” moderate width, below the splash zone tapers down to minor width (11:17) 3 Ft and 8 ft east of crack there are 1” dia. fasteners protruding 1 ½” out, approx. 6” above water. (11:19 & 11:21) The east end has a void approx. 8” – 10” in diameter (11:23:33) For reference only: Pneumo reading = 16 ft water depth



North Bent 1 (11:26) 04/29/2015

Minor cracks present up to 18” at top of pile jackets. A miscellaneous steel beam was found adjacent to pile 3; it is cutoff approximately 3 ft from the bottom grade. This bent has three piles; other bents typically have four piles.

North Bent 2 (11:41) 04/29/2015

Pile 1: East Face: 6 Ft above bottom, 12” x 3” x 1” spall, with no exposed reinforcing steel. Picture not available due to space between piles too small to fit diver’s hard hat mounted camera.

North Bent 3 (12:01) 04/29/2015

Multiple minor and moderate cracks present on the underside and lower portions of cap. Small spall present on southwest corner of cap.

Bent 4 (12:18) 04/29/2015

Southwest corner of cap has wide cracks indicative of future spalling similar to that already spalled on bents 2 & 3. Multiple minor and moderate cracks present on the underside and lower portions of cap.

Bent 5 (13:25) 04/29/2015

Multiple minor and moderate cracks present on the underside and lower portions of cap. Minor spalls on cap 1’ x 6” x 1” and 4” x ¾” at the southeast corner of the cap. On the east side of pile 1, there is an area of scour approx. 6” x 5” x 12” (13:29:23)

Bent 6 (13:46) 04/29/2015

Multiple minor and moderate cracks present on the underside and lower portions of cap. Two minor spalls present on the cap 2” x 1” and ¾” x 1” at the west face of the cap. Minor and moderate cracks present up to 12” at top of pile jackets, on piles 1, 3 and 4. For reference only: Pneumo reading = 10 ft water depth



Bent 7 (14:04:44) 04/29/2015

Multiple minor and moderate cracks present on the underside and lower portions of cap. Minor and moderate cracks present up to 18” at top of pile jackets, on piles 1 and 4. Pile 3 has a 4.5”x ¾” rubber protrusion, presumably at the seam of the forms. There is also a moderate 2” crack on the north face near the rubber seal.

Bent 8 (14:25:40) 04/29/2015

Multiple minor and moderate cracks present on the underside and lower portions of cap. A minor spall 1 ½” x ¾” present at the northeast corner of the cap. Minor and moderate cracks present up to 12” at top of pile jackets, on piles 1, 3 and 4.

Bent 9 (14:46) 04/29/2015

Minor and moderate cracks present up to 18” at top of pile jackets, on piles 1, 2 and 4. Multiple minor and moderate cracks present on the underside and lower portions of cap. Underside of cap is missing concrete approx. 1” x 4”. (14:50:10) On the west side of pile 1, there is an area of scour approx. 4” x 2 ½’. (14:47:30)

Bent 10 (15:00:40) 04/29/2015

Multiple minor, moderate and wider cracks (up to ½” wide with 1/8” offset) present on the underside and lower portions of cap. Minor and moderate cracks present up to 12” at top of pile jackets, on piles 1, 2, 3 and 4. For reference only: 2 ft water depth

Bent 11 (15:15:10) 04/29/2015

Minor and moderate cracks present up to 16” at top of pile jackets, on piles 1, 2, 3 and 4. Multiple minor and moderate cracks present on the underside and lower portions of cap.

Bents 12 - 16

Not inspected by divers due to tide and water depth of less than 2 ft not conducive to dive inspection.



The south bents are numbered starting at the closest to the south bascule pier and heading towards the south shoreline. Piles are numbered and inspected from west to east. Hairline cracks are noted as minor cracks. Cracks with approximately credit card thickness are noted as moderate cracks. Cracks significantly wider than credit card thickness are denoted as 1/8”, ¼” etc. There are two adjacent structures connected to the bridge on the west side of the bridge. The bridge house is supported on four 12” concrete piles which have severe spalling above the waterline. There is an abandoned platform with steel framing in very poor condition supported on two wooden piles in very poor condition. The wooden piles were not inspected due to unknown stability of the steel platform above and wood piling. Location Comments South Bascule Pier (12:43) 04/30/2015

Multiple concrete repairs above the splash zone appear to be in good condition. There is a ledge below water approx. 4 ft up from bottom and extends 2 ft from face of pier. There is a sunken boat present along the south side of the south bascule pier. Approximately 30 ft long. The location of the boat obstructs inspection of the bottom of the pier into the bottom grade. For reference only: Pneumo reading = 17 ft water depth

South Bent 1 (11:02:55) 04/30/2015

Multiple minor and moderate cracks present on the underside and lower portions of cap, with exposed reinforcing at the surface and with rust bleed. (11:15:10) Minor and moderate cracks present up to 16” at top of pile jackets, on piles 1, 2 and 3. This bent has three piles; other bents typically have four piles.

South Bent 2 (11:18:57) 04/30/2015

Multiple minor and moderate cracks present on the underside and lower portions of cap with rust bleed. (11:30) Minor and moderate cracks present up to 12” at top of pile jackets, on piles 1, 2 and 3. On pile 4, the crack is 1/8” wide x 2 ½’ long. (11:30:35)

South Bent 3 (11:37:05)

Multiple minor and moderate cracks present on the underside and lower portions of cap.



04/30/2015 Minor and moderate cracks present up to 16” at top of pile jackets, on piles 1, 2, 3 and 4.

South Bent 4 (12:43) 04/30/2015

Multiple minor and moderate cracks present on the underside and lower portions of cap with exposed reinforcing at the surface and with rust bleed. Minor and moderate cracks present up to 20” at top of pile jackets, on piles 2 and 3.

South Bent 5 (13:0:50) 04/30/2015

Multiple minor, moderate and wide cracks up to ½” width present on the underside and lower portions of cap with rust bleed. Minor and moderate cracks present up to 12” at top of pile jackets, on piles 1, 2, 3 and 4, with rust stains present at the top of pile 4. The west side of pile 3 has a void 5” deep x 12” dia. Located approx. 5 ft from bottom. This area has soft concrete which is easily removed by hand tools. Solid sound concrete is present 12” away from the affected area.

South Bent 6 (13:0:50) 04/30/2015

Multiple minor, moderate and wide cracks up to ¼” width present on the underside and lower portions of cap with rust bleed. There is a minor spall / chip at the northeast corner of the cap Minor and moderate cracks present up to 18” at top of pile jackets, on piles 1, 2, 3 and 4, with rust stains present at the top of pile 4. There is a void with exposed aggregate on the pile jacket for pile 4, on the west side. The affected area is approximately 5 ft off bottom and is 2 ½’ x 4” deep and wraps horizontally around the pile. (13:45:35)



South Bent 7 (14:21:00) 04/30/2015

Multiple minor, moderate and wide cracks up to ½” width present on the underside and lower portions of cap. Minor and moderate cracks present up to 24” at top of pile jackets, on piles 1, 2, 3 and 4 There is a void on pile 2 approx. 2 ft from the bottom, 2’ x 8” x 2 ½”. The area has soft and brittle concrete which is easily chipped away using hand tools. There is a small void on pile 3 approx. 2 ft from the bottom on the west side, 4” x 6” x ½”. The area has soft and brittle concrete which is easily chipped away using hand tools. The concrete nearby is solid and sound. There are multiple small shallow voids on pile 4 approx. 11 ft from the bottom on the south and southwest faces, 1” x 1” x ¼”. For reference only: Pneumo reading = 17 ft water depth

South Bent 8 (14:57:35) 04/30/2015

Multiple minor, moderate and wide cracks up to ½” width present on the underside and lower portions of cap. Minor and moderate cracks present at top of pile jackets, on piles 1, 2, 3 and 4 There is a small void on pile 1 approx. 3 ½ ft from the bottom on the east face, 16” x 16” 3 ½”. The area within 6” has soft and brittle concrete which is easily chipped away using hand tools. The concrete within 12” is solid and sound. There are several small voids on pile 2 on the southwest face, 1 ½” deep x 4” x 2 ½” and 1” x 6” and ¼” deep x 6” x 8” the lowest is approx. 5 ft off bottom. Similarly on the east face there is a void ½” x 8” approx. 19 in off bottom. These areas have soft and black concrete which is easily chipped away using hand tools. There is a small void on pile 3 approx. 6 ½ ft from the bottom on the south-south-east face, 1 ½” deep x 6” x 2”. The area within 6” has soft concrete which is easily chipped away using hand tools. The concrete within 12” is solid and sound. There are small voids on pile 4, 1’ x 2” and 4” x 7” x ¾” on the south side of the pile.



South Bent 9 (9:38:15) 05/01/2015

Multiple minor and moderate cracks with rust bleed present on the underside and lower portions of cap. Minor and moderate cracks present up to 18” at top of pile jackets, on piles 1, 3 and 4 There is wood forming left in place on the underside of the cap near pile 1. There is a small void at the top of pile 1. There is a large void on pile 1 approx. 10 ft from the bottom that wraps 360 degrees around the pile 3’ H x 12” D with 6 reinforcing bars exposed, with section loss up to 100% on some of the rebar. (09:41) There are small voids on pile 4 approx. 8 ft from the bottom on the east face, 6” x 3”x 2”, and 12 ft from the bottom on the east face, 7” x 4” x 3”, and one at the waterline adjacent to a crack, 3” x 2” x 1”.

South Bent 10 (10:05:50) 05/01/2015

Multiple minor and moderate cracks with rust bleed present on the underside and lower portions of cap. There is a spall on the underside of the cap with rust bleed 2” x 4” x ½” For reference only: Pneumo reading = 19 ft water depth

South Bent 11 (10:25:25) 05/01/2015

Multiple minor and moderate cracks present on the underside and lower portions of cap. There is some wood present on the underside of the cap adjacent to pile 3, approx. 30” long. Minor and moderate cracks present up to 12” at top of pile jackets, on piles 1, 3 and 4

South Bent 12 (10:50:50) 05/01/2015

Multiple minor cracks present on the underside and lower portions of cap. There are minor spalls at the northeast and southeast corners of the cap, 3” x 4” x ½” Minor cracks present up to 12” at top of pile jackets, on piles 1, 2, 3 and 4



South Bent 13 (11:07:05) 05/01/2015

Multiple minor and moderate cracks present on the underside and lower portions of cap. Minor cracks present up to 24” at top of pile jackets, on piles 2, 3 and 4

South Bent 14 (11:27) 05/01/2015

Multiple minor and moderate cracks present on the underside and lower portions of cap. Exposed reinforcing 1 ½” long where pile 4 meets the cap. Minor cracks present up to 12” at top of pile jacket, on pile 2.

South Bent 15 (11:46:40) 05/01/2015

Multiple minor and moderate cracks present on the underside and lower portions of cap, with ¼” exposed reinforcing. There is a small void on pile 2 approx. 8 ft from the bottom 2” dia x ¾” Minor cracks present up to 4” at top of pile jacket, on pile 4.

South Bent 16 (13:18:30) 05/01/2015

Multiple minor, moderate and wide cracks up to ½” width present on the underside and lower portions of cap. Pile 2 has a small spall at the base 1” x 4” on the north face. Minor and moderate cracks present at top of pile jackets, on piles 3 and 4. For reference only: Pneumo reading = 16 ft water depth



South Bent 17 (13:18:30) 05/01/2015

Multiple minor and moderate cracks present on the underside and lower portions of cap. There is a 4” x 3” spall at the southeast corner of the cap. Minor and moderate cracks present at top of pile jackets, on piles 1, 3 and 4. There are small voids on pile 1 approx. 5 ft from the bottom on the east face, 7 ½” x 3” and 10” x 1” deep x 3” There are small void on pile 2 approx. at the splash zone 6” x 1” and 8” dia x ¼” chip above the waterline There is a small void on pile 3 approx. 5 ft from the bottom on the east face, 4” x 4” x ¼”. Also there is a strip of rubber 4” x 1” sticking out near a 1” x 3” void in the concrete on the north face. There is a small void on pile 4 approx. 5 ft from the bottom on the east face, 10” x 14”x 1 ½”. Approx. 10” lower there is a void 8” x 3”x ¾” at 3 ft off bottom.

South Bent 18 (14:02:30) 05/01/2015

Multiple minor and moderate cracks and a small void and rust bleed present on the underside and lower portions of cap. There is a previous concrete repair on the northwest corner of the cap that has cracking in the repair and adjacent areas; the repair area also has soft foam found on the underside of the cap. The top of the piles have 2 abandoned and corroded metal rods which may have been used in the repair of the cap above.



South Bent 19 (14:20) 05/01/2015

Multiple minor and moderate cracks and some loose concrete present on the underside and lower portions of cap. There is a 5” x 2” x ¾” chip on the southwest corner of the cap. There is a minor void in the cap where it meets pile 3, 1” x 2” deep, and another minor void in the cap ½” deep at pile 4. Minor and moderate cracks present at top of pile jackets, on piles 2 and 4. On pile 1 there is a large area affecting approx. 45% of the pile with voids up to 4” deep and exhibits yellow and black concrete which is soft and brittle and easily removed with hand tools. The affected area is primarily on the western half of the pile. (14:25) There are small voids on pile 2 approx. 3 ft from the bottom on the west face, at the splash zone 2” deep x 7” x 4”; 1” x1” on the southeast face; and at the top of the pile 5” x ½”. There is a void on pile 3 approx. 2 ½ ft from the bottom 14” spanning east to west x 1” deep x 3 ½” There are voids on pile 4 10” x 4” x ½” with a rough finish, with exposed and loose aggregate; and at approx. 2 ½ ft from bottom, 1’ x 3”x ½”, and 3 ft from bottom 6” x 1” x ¼”.

South Bent 20 (15:03:45) 05/01/2015

Multiple minor and moderate cracks present on the underside and lower portions of cap. There is a minor void where the cap meets pile 2 approx. ¾” deep on east face. Minor and moderate cracks present up to 12” at top of pile jackets, on piles 1 and 4. There are voids on pile 1 approx. 2 ½ ft from the bottom 7” x 4” x 1” and 4 ft from bottom 6” x 2” x ½” on the east face. There is a void on pile 2 approx. 2 ft from the bottom 18” x 7” x 1” on the east face. There are voids on pile 3, approx. 5 ft from the bottom 2’ x 2” x ¾”; and 6 in from bottom 18” x 3” deep.



South Bent 21 (15:26:45) 05/01/2015

Multiple minor and moderate cracks present on the underside and lower portions of cap. Minor spall on northwest corner of cap approx. 16” x 9” x 1” Minor and moderate cracks present up to 12” at top of pile jackets, on piles 1, 2 and 3. Pile 1 has exposed aggregate above the oyster growth in the splash zone; a void at the base 2’ x 9” x 2”. There is also material loss on the east face starting 1 ft from bottom, 8’ x 6” deep with exposed aggregate on the south side of the pile. (15:30:30) There are voids on pile 3, approx. 5 ft from the bottom 16” x 2” x ½”; 2 ft from the bottom 10” x 4” x ½”; 1 ft below the splash zone 2’ x 20” x 3”and a ½” x 1” void at the top of the pile on the north side. There is also exposed aggregate at the top of the pile. There is a void on pile 4 approx. 8 in from the bottom 14” x 6” x 1” on the west face.



Opinion of Substructure Condition The overall substructure piles and pile caps are in stable condition. Concrete restoration should be scheduled in the next 2-3 years as routine maintenance of the structure. We also noted areas above splash zone have previous concrete repairs, some which are sound and intact; others have formed additional cracking and need to be repaired again. The steel piles are encased in concrete pile jackets. The size, lengths, embedment and capacities of the steel piles are unknown. The condition of the steel piles prior to installing the concrete pile jackets is unknown. South Bent 9, Pile 1 has a large concrete spall / void with exposed reinforcing bars that require remedial repairs. The caps have a uniform horizontal cold joint. This is from modifications to the structure at some point in the past. The reinforcing steel size, spacing and layout are unknown. While the general condition of the substructure appears to have been maintained and repaired regularly, the capacity of the bascule support piers or the typical bents cannot be determined from the information obtained from the dive inspection and limited photos made available to us at this time. We did not observe and cracks or spalls of deflections that would indicate an imminent failure of any of the substructure components.



Project Team The underwater inspection team was led by Brian C. Rheault, P.E. The project personnel, their organization, and their responsibilities are as follows: Individual Company Role Responsibilities Brian Rheault Bridge Design

Associates Project Manager, Professional Engineer

Oversee team & work products

Sasha Kishore Bridge Design Associates

Engineer Intern/Admin Lead Inspection Prepare and check deliverables

Kerry Dillon Tetra Tech Dive Supervisor Monitor diver & dive equipment Safety Manager

Adrian Allen Tetra Tech Diver 1 (alternating standby)

Perform dive inspection

Ryan Iocona Tetra Tech Diver 2 (alternating standby)

Standby for dive inspection

Mike Mendoza Tetra Tech Dive Tender Tend to lines for diver

Curtis Sapusek

Tetra Tech Dive Tender Capt. of Second Boat

Assist dive boat and personnel as needed

Stuart McGahee Tetra Tech Engineer Coordinate Dive Operations

Patrick A. Zuloaga Tetra Tech Ecologist Coordinate Dive Operations



Appendix A: Misc Inspection Photos

Typical cold joint on pile caps



Typical minor cracks caps

Hairline thickness

Typical moderate cracks caps

Credit card thickness



Typical minor cracks caps

Hairline thickness



Typical minor cracking on

underside of cap with rust

bleed



Typical corner spall on cap



Typical moderate crack on

underside of cap

credit card thickness



Typical moderate crack

between piles on

underside of cap



5ft Crack on North

Bascule Pier South Face



Protruding fastener 5 ft

east of center crack on

North Bascule Pier South

Face



North Bascule Pier

multiple 1” dia holes with

corroded fasteners



South Bent 9 Pile 1 Large

void with exposed

reinforcing steel



South Bent 9 Pile 1 Large

void with exposed

reinforcing steel



Appendix B: Stock Photos

Overall Bridge



North Fixed Span



South Fixed Span



Bascule Span



Bents Inspected ‐ North Fixed Span

NORTH BASCULE PIER

N1

N2

N10

N8

N6

N4

N11

N9

N7

N5

N3



Bents Inspected ‐ South Fixed Span

SOUTH BASCULE PIER

S2

S4

S5

S6

S7

S8

S9

S10

S11

S12S13

S14

S15

S16S17

S18S19

S20

S3

S1

S21



North Fixed Spans, Viewed from the East

Bascule Span, Viewed from the East

South Fixed Spans, Viewed from the Southwest





South Fixed Spans, Viewed from the West

Bascule Span, Viewed from the West



North Fixed Spans, Viewed from the West



Appendix C: Historical Info

Date post:	08-Jan-2017
Category:	Engineering
Upload:	dacia-johnson
View:	3,847 times
Download:	4 times

St. Lucie River train bridge report

Engineering