Michael Baker International has been selected by the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) in the US for the highway bridge replacement project utilising Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) method.

The company will provide design services to replace two parallel bridges over De Roche Creek on Interstate 30 (I-30) in south-west Arkansas.

The programme will be carried out by using the ABC technique, also known as a lateral slide bridge replacement process. It will help to reduce traffic disruptions, as well as improve worker safety during the project works.

Michael Baker Little Rock office vice-president and office executive Mike Stengel said: “I-30 is a heavily trafficked interstate route that connects Little Rock and other cities including Memphis, Tennessee to Dallas, so using ABC to replace the bridges over the De Roche Creek was the ideal design and construction choice to help reduce lane closure time and improve safety.”

As well as providing bridge replacement design services, Michael Baker will guide ARDOT engineers on the ABC programme.

“Using ABC to replace the bridges over the De Roche Creek was the ideal design and construction choice to help reduce lane closure time and improve safety.”

The firm has already carried out a Bridge Construction Staging Study to deploy the ideal lateral slide replacement option.

Based on safety, traffic impact, cost and other factors, it recommended the process which will use two different lateral slides to replace both bridges.

Under this approach, the two new bridges will be built on temporary falsework to the north and south of the existing parallel bridges. The workers will be required to construct a permanent substructure for the new beneath the existing ones.

After completion, the two different bridge-slide operations will be carried out to place the new bridges into their permanent positions.

The designing works are expected to be completed in October this year, while construction will begin from the first half of next year.

Michael Baker will also be providing construction support services throughout the duration of the project.