The Job
As part of a bridge rehabilitation for MassDOT, two hollow abutments needed to be filled in order to turn the structural approach/departure slabs into slab on grade.
The Challenge
It was up to 30′ from the bottom of slab to the underlying soil which had originally been installed to backfill the abutments. In order to reduce the loads applied to the bridge from the backfill, the lightest possible material capable of providing sufficient support to the pavement was required.
Due to integrated beams for the structural slabs, there were 12 different individual pockets which were up to 2′ tall, which had to be vented independently during the final lift, 4 of which had to be under live traffic because the road couldn’t be completely closed.
The Solution
CJGeo worked with the general contractor to formulate a plan to vent the individual pockets from outside of the open lanes, to ensure a complete fill without requiring a complete road closure. Over the course of two mobilizations, CJGeo placed 2,840CY of 25lb/cuft cellular concrete to fill the abutments.
