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Orlando, Florida - Harbco Construction, Inc. required vehicular access over a canal to reach Beeline Center, a mixed retail and industrial complex in southern Orlando. Two bridges were needed to cross the canal.
“We had worked with CONTECH before on the Heritage sub-division in St. Augustine and purchased a 50’ long bridge to span a wetland,” explained Amine Harb, Project Engineer for Harbco Construction, Inc. “That project went very well, so we contacted them again for the Beeline Center bridges.”
Harbco liked the architectural appeal of the Steadfast Capstone vehicular bridge, the type of bridge the company had used in St. Augustine, and chose that style again for the structures needed for the Beeline Center project. The bridge north of Taft-Vineland Road is 95’ long and provides access to a 23,000 square foot retail area. The second structure is 100’ long and located south of Taft-Vineland Road, leading to a 32,000 square foot light industrial complex. Both bridges are 34’ wide, and like the St. Augustine structure, feature a weathering steel finish with concrete decking.
“Working with CONTECH went smoothly,” stated Harb. “The design part was done quickly. We needed the first bridge in July and the second in August, and they delivered on time.”
Wilbur Smith Associates in Orlando designed the concrete abutments for the two bridges, and was also responsible for designing the minimum bridge opening in accordance with the requirements of the Valencia Water Control District. In early project stages, there were concerns over rain events possibly causing the canal to overflow bridge structures.
“We had to take the potential overtopping into consideration and design the foundations to remain secure in those situations,” commented Andra Diggs, Project Engineer for Wilbur Smith Associates. “Other than that, it was rather straight forward project and working with CONTECH went very well.”
Installing the bridges went as planned. Concrete retaining walls were added on each side of the abutments to help with soil retention. CONTECH ArmorFlex Articulating Concrete Block Revetment Systems was also installed around the abutments to help protect the canal banks from erosion.
Bridge Owners
North Bridge:
Beeline Center, LLC
South Bridge:
John Young & Central Florida Parkway, LLC
General Contractors
Harbco Construction, Inc.
http://www.harbco.com
Consulting Engineer
Wilbur Smith Associates
http://www.wilbursmith.com/
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