Select “West Fork Mill Creek.” The bridge is an adjacent box girder bridge. Assume the new structure will be the same type.
These are some technically feasible solutions to the problem:
1. 1) Close the bridge entirely and replace the bridge. Detour traffic.
2. 2) Restrict the bridge to one lane of traffic and replace half the bridge at a time. Possible options
are:
1. Allow traffic to move both ways over the open lane by controlling traffic with temporary traffic signals.
2. Allow traffic to flow in one direction and detour the opposite direction (i.e. when the south bound lane is being replaced, allow north bound traffic to use half the bridge and detour the south bound traffic).
It is estimated that a full closure would be six weeks and a partial closure would be 14 weeks.
Assignments:
Choose one of the issues above and write a short paper performing an analysis that clearly outlines the advantages and disadvantages of each solution with respect to the particular issue you have chosen; e.g. closing the bridge would have this cost and impact while half width would have a different cost and impact. Do not chose a solution, just cite pros and cons of each. The text should be 4-5 pages. References and diagrams are additional. All sources must be properly cited and referenced.