PCI was the General Contractor for the second-ever Iowa DOT lateral bridge slide project in Kalona, Iowa (Washington County).  PCI completed the bridge construction in 10 days within an allowed 14-day critical closure aimed at limiting the 26-mile detour and associated road user costs during bridge replacement.

The project consisted of a single span 120 x 44 ft Pretensioned Prestressed Concrete Beam (PPCB) bridge utilizing 45-inch-deep bulb tee beams. The bridge superstructure was constructed adjacent to the existing bridge on falsework while the existing bridge was demolished.

The new bridge was laterally moved into position using a lateral slide system that was set up to “push” the superstructure with a series of driven H-piles and high strength bars that passed through the backwalls. Guided by rollers bearing on a steel channel and controlled by a jack on each abutment backwall, it utilized pancake jacks to raise and lower the bridge into place. Additionally, the project utilized a new Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) integral abutment connection.