BRIDGE

Kansas City’s new Manchester Bridge meets MoDOT’s goals
Over the last 10 years, the Missouri Department of
Transportation has spent a million dollars a year, on
average, maintaining the 55-year-old Manchester
Bridge. The twin-multi-span bridge system is the
main route into downtown Kansas City from the east,
carrying 108,000 vehicles daily on Interstate 70. The
bridge also receives a large amount of event traffic
because of its proximity to Kansas City’s professional
baseball and football stadiums.
Age and heavy use — far beyond what was anticipated
when the bridge was built in 1959 — caused
deterioration, particularly on the bridge deck. A
concrete overlay in 2008, modified latex overlay in
2011 and “last resort” asphalt overlay in 2012 did
little to solve the problem, said Carl Schipfmann, HNTB design
manager for the I-70 Manchester Bridge Project. Both the eastbound
and westbound center lanes, which experienced the most wear
and tear from traffic, were so damaged that MoDOT issued an
on-call emergency repair contract to repair cracks and potholes that
sometimes went completely through the entire bridge deck, creating
extreme safety issues for the traveling public. MoDOT frequently had
to shut down traffic to repair the decaying deck, leaving travelers to
either wait through the delays or navigate extended detours.
“The Manchester Bridge was a money drain, and it wasn’t getting
any better,” said Susan Barry, MoDOT’s I-70 Manchester Bridge
project director. “Nothing we tried worked.”
The bridge also serves a busy industrial area. Heavy trucks
frequently use the bridge to access I-70, but the existing on-ramps
provided no acceleration lanes for these entering vehicles.
The bridge already was in MoDOT’s long-term replacement
plans, but because of its importance to commuters, truck traffic and
downtown commerce, MoDOT accelerated the replacement schedule,
issuing a design-build request for proposal in 2013. Minimizing traffic
impact during construction was the project’s top goal.
PERSONAL PROJECT COMMITMENT
HNTB teamed with Kansas City-based Clarkson Construction
Company to submit a proposal to design and build the new
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Manchester Bridge. Both firms had long histories with MoDOT
and had worked together before. Both companies felt a personal
commitment to MoDOT and to the Manchester Bridge, said Marc
Whitmore, HNTB deputy design manager.
“During the pre-award phase, Clarkson representatives co-located
in HNTB’s downtown Kansas City offices,” Whitmore said. “We met
multiple times every day to discuss the best approach to replace the
existing structure. Getting to know Clarkson and jointly developing
objectives got HNTB’s design started on the right foot. Both firms
were motivated to develop a proposal that would result in the best
MANAGING
MANCHESTER
TRAFFIC
The design-build project team
proposed a three-phase plan for
maintenance of traffic during the
replacement of the Manchester
Bridge to ensure that delays were
minimized during construction.
HNTB DESIGNER Number 105 Page 9