This Ingenious Way to Build Bridges Will Fix Our Crumbling Infrastructure

The I-84 corridor that connects New York and Connecticut is getting a new and improved bridge, and the final piece of the intricate puzzle will slip into place this weekend. The way it’s happening saves money, limits closures, and could revolutionize the way America remakes its crumbling infrastructure.

The technique is known as accelerated bridge construction, or ABC, and though it’s been used on hundreds of small projects, this marks the first time a state transportation agency has used it on a major interstate.

The existing bridge is a 135-foot long, two-lane structure in the town of Southeast, New York. It carries as many as 100,000 drivers a day, with big rigs accounting for 16 percent of traffic. If the state opted for a traditional replacement, it would have taken more than two years, involved multiple closures, and would require a temporary bridge that would have added $2 million to the overall cost.

By Damon Lavrinc

Full Story: http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/10/abc/