Turnpike Highway, Florida, USA – Geotub project

Problem

The most important challenge for projects to extend and modernise roads, especially busy ones, is always to minimize traffic disruption so as not to block the transit of vehicles. This was also true in the case of Turnpike Highway – designated as State Road 91 (SR 91) -, which is a toll road in the U.S. state of Florida connecting Miami Gardens to Wildwood. It is 264.666 miles (425.939 km) long and is used daily by two million motorists. When widening and resurfacing works became necessary, including the construction of a bridge that crosses the Turnpike Highway, every step had to be carefully planned to avoid further traffic congestion and disruptions to the Public.

Solution

Geoplast Geotub was just the perfect tool to produce the large bridge circular columns easily, quickly and especially without stopping the road crossing. Renovation works also consisted of the construction of the new Atlantic Avenue (SR 806) interchange at the Florida’s Turnpike (SR91) and the widening of the Turnpike from south of Atlantic Avenue to north of the Atlantic Avenue SR806.

Product used

Geotub perfectly lends itself to difficult worksites, as it can be installed without using cranes or any other mechanical means: the panels are very light and can be manually handled by a single person. In this case it was an excellent choice, because it allowed to fastly build the columns without compromising neither the traffic flow, nor the work safety of the construction site. The columns are 20′ high by 36″ diameter.

Thanks to its peculiarity to allow quick work that does not create inconvenience to traffic Geotub had already been chosen for a similar project in Ireland: the M50 motorway extension in Dublin. Even on that occasion Geotub formers were particularly suitable to produce in few days the large bridge circular columns (800 mm diameter) without having to block off an extra lane of the motorway.

Team

The work was commissioned to Condotte America, which operates as a heavy and highway contractor in the United States. The company specializes in bridge work, roadways, mass transit and governmental buildings, including toll plazas. It also constructs private projects for selected clients.

Learn more

Geoplast Formwork Solutions
Geotub
Geotub projects
Turnpike Highway Project 
M50 Motorway extension, Red Cow Roundabout, Dublin, Project