For the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA), AECOM designed and constructed a new fixed bridge 55 feet above the South Fork of the New River in Fort Lauderdale. The project included approximately 1.7 miles of new twin-track alignment to accommodate SFRTA heavy rail and Amtrak commuter traffic.
The project location presented numerous engineering and construction challenges. The 30-foot-wide bridge had to be constructed within a 40-foot wide corridor. The site is bounded to the east by I-95, the busiest highway in Florida and to the west by the existing, active railroad track. Every day, the track running parallel to the New River Bridge carried 28 local commuter trains, six Amtrak trains, and 10 CSXT freight trains. Several times a day, crews were required to pause construction due to heavy train traffic along the tracks.
AECOM’s constructability reviews resulted in engineering innovations that shortened the schedule and saved an estimated $18 million in project costs. For instance, we proposed and implemented an alternative design for bridge foundations that replaced multiple drilled shafts and pile caps with single 10-foot diameter drilled shafts. This allowed for faster foundation construction.
Once in service, the New River Bridge’s double-track corridor provided a transit solution that quickly became popular. Because the corridor could accommodate a greater number of trains with less headway between them, readership immediately grew by 20 percent.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
- 2008 Florida Institute of Consulting Engineers Engineering Excellence Grand Award
- American Council of Engineering Companies 2008 Engineering Excellence Award
- Associated Builders & Contractors Alabama Mega Project of the Year
- Recorded 650,000 hours without an OSHA injury