Jacking up an overpass. That's not a jack... (imagine the Crocodile Dundee line)
 

I commute down Interstate 10 in central Texas. For several years they've been upgrading I10. I saw a notification on FB that an overpass was going to be closed (for at least 2 months) because they are going to jack it up. This overpass runs over 6 lanes of I10 with a median in the middle. It's not a small overpass. Holy moly, I'm almost (but not quite) interested enough to go watch Thu night.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750713965.JPG
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750713965.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750713965.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750713965.jpg

As of today, they don't have any jacks in the middle/median, but I think they will have to put some on either side of the columns supporting the overpass in the middle.

If you like watching paint dry go for it... its a painfully slow operation jacking structures such as this. I have been involved with (and paid handsomely for) jacking/realigning some large structures..

Likely this bridge is being jacked to allow reconstruction of pier caps and bridge seats to meet current standards for seismic etc...

To my eyes that is not an old structure, but it looks odd the there is so little clearance between the bottom of the beam and pier caps...

The jacking procedure may be so slight s to "break the dust" between the bearing and bridge seat...

Its equally impressive as hell and yawn inspiring..

Another interesting project I was involved with was replacing a bascule bridge in Long Beach NY for the LIRR

A barge was positioned under the lift span, and jacks and cribbing were brought to bear (At low tide)

When the tide came in the the span was cut loose and tugs took the span away..... The new span was installed in a similar fashion

So you're saying those aren't like the current car jacks, 3 pumps to full lift? Yeah, on top of the fact that it's slow, if they say "we're starting at 9pm Thu night, they may have 4-6 hours of crap to do before they even start lifting. I imagine that each jack is monitored to ensure that all jacks are lifting in unison, etc.... I'll be heading through the area Fri afternoon, so I'll get to see what has changed after 16-18 hours.

Which overpass?
I'll be out your way Saturday, doing a few observatory jobs between Cat Spring and the club dark site West of Columbus.

When I used to commute, I went over the Sellwood Bridge in Portland most days. It got replaced. Before they put in the new bridge, they moved the old bridge on one end to make room for the new one. Just sort of swung it a few degrees. The operation was incredibly slick and well executed. The bridge was closed for maybe two days to make this transition. Absolutely amazing.

Cool. We do have nice dark skies out here (maybe not super dark, but much darker than anything anywhere near Houston.

It's the overpass right before the Hwy-71-to-Austin exit after the main Columbus exit

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750797906.jpg

I hate that drive from SA to Houston so much that when I had to do it twice in one week recently I took the 50 mile longer state highway route. I went from SA to Cuero, to Victoria, Sugarland, then Houston and returned the same way.

My sanity was much better upon arrival even though it added 45 minutes or so per leg. Cruising along out in the country with little to no traffic is much better than I-10 where there is constant construction. Plus you get to go thru China Grove and sing the Doobie Brothers song.

My commute is ~84 miles from downtown Houston straight down I10 (~3days/wk). That's why I get up at 4 in the morning and usually leave work between 11 and noon (meeting dependent) to come home. Door to door my drive is usually 1:06-1:08 in the morning, and in the afternoon 1:10 - 1:20. It could be worse.

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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750801273.jPG

I've done this. it's fun, and kinda weirdly exciting. 100ton jacks all slaved together thru a computerized manifold. jacks move slow, but they have a short throw, so the crews hustle. they move it up...block and wedge it up. lower the jacks and then lift the jacks to gain more elevation, and repeat.

I think it is all to improve clearances for military?

I believe it's because of a major upgrade planned for I10. The upgrades started just west of Houston and are proceeding west. There's probably 30 miles of I10 to the east that's already been upgraded, move cars off, completely recreate the road bed, pave with concrete and 3 lanes wide instead of 2, new feeders/frontage, the whole works. This overpass is maybe 3-5 miles west of the section that's about 12-15 miles long that's currently under construction. The expansion is planned to continue through the area for another 10-15 miles at least past this overpass. I think if they are raising the road bed, they have to raise the over pass to maintain clearance under it.
THe dark green line is already all new concrete, wider Interstate. The dark red line is currently under construction. The blue line is already planned for widening. The pink line crossing the blue line is where the overpass is.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750811954.jpg


But I'm just a random dude on the Internet, not a civil engineer, so I could be way off base.

This is the plan for that overpass

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750812411.jpg

Just before Columbus, I10 passes over the Colorado river. THere's a large portion of the Interstate that is moving a couple hundred yards south, and they are building new bridges (there are 2 in that section).

I circled (sort of) the current path of I10 that is just going to disappear, I guess.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750812736.jpg

In the middle of the 19th century, the entire city of Chicago was jacked up between about 5 and 15 feet. Wood frame buildings that were considered not worth jacking up were put on rollers and rolled out to the edge of town or to the suburbs. Sometimes entire blocks were jacked up at once.

I watched a YouTube video about this a while ago. A very ambitious & massive project to say the least.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raising_of_Chicago

SC that's incredible!

I had a project that lifted 6 bridges 3 feet higher.

I seriously think improving clearances for a mobile military was a motivating factor. on paper, it was called Sea level rise. but this was in Vallejo? way inland. haha..

the best part of these projects. it was an impossible task to keep the public out. they would walk on the bridge, jump up the 3 foot, freshly lifted bridge, walk across and jump down. it was like clockwork. they would go thru any fence. hahha...I quit caring.

This seems like a good time to put up a video of the 11' 8" bridge, (with a mellifluous Ozzy describing the phenomenon)

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u_9rWH0p43A?si=ord25zOSsz-IiCNm" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

^^^^^

There is a bridge on the George Washington Parkway on the way to Mount Vernon. It is old stone and arched and one of the reasons trucks AND busses are not permitted on the Parkway (not that such prohibition stops tourist busses).

In 2019 I was heading home and saw this guy in a brand new delivery truck had decided to not obey the signs. Dude was sitting in the truck knowing his job was toast.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750881045.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750881045.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750881045.jpg

The bridge:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750881181.jpg