Case study | Geotechnical Engineering
I-64 over Wabash River
Details
Owner
Illinois Department of Transportation
Client
Knight Engineers and Architects, Inc.
Project Cost
$71 Million
Status
Estimated Completion 2019
Summary
Kaskaskia Engineering Group, LLC (KEG) provided subsurface exploration and geotechnical services for the reconstruction of the dual 27-span bridges of FAI Route 64 over the Wabash River in White County, Illinois. This Illinois Department of Transportation Region Five, District Nine project is a result of scouring issues with the existing bridge substructures, as some of the piers across the river were supported on shallow foundations and others supported on deep foundations.
Project
KEG coordinated the subsurface exploration, which consisted of borings obtained on the Illinois and Indiana banks and floodplains of the river, as well as in the river utilizing a barge. Coordination of river drilling was challenging due to the high variability of flow and flood stages of the Wabash River and access up the river with the barge. Variability in subsurface conditions passing from Illinois to Indiana was also a challenge, with bedrock ranging from less than 25 feet on the Illinois bank to greater than 120 feet on the Indiana bank.
KEG coordinated the subsurface exploration and prepared the Structure Geotechnical Report (SGR). The SGR addressed deep foundation recommendations at the abutments and the intermediate piers bearing in either sandstone or shale bedrock, as well as stability of abutment slopes, settlement, and seismic design, including liquefaction analysis.
