$246m Marc Basnight Bridge replaces Bonner Bridge over Oregon Inlet

(1962 Bonner Bridge Hunter; 2019 Basnight Bridge Hunter; multiple satellite snapshots below)

I thought this 1962 bridge was made with concrete girders until I looked at Bridge Hunter. It uses steel girders. The replacement is built with precast concrete segments for the piers as well as the spans.

(Update: RoadTraffic-Technology article)

Patrick Scales posted
4100 ringer and 4600 ringer on Bonner Bridge replacement OBX, NC

NCDOT

The work on the new $246 million bridge reminds me that satellite images are about a year old. The replacement bridge is about half done and should complete in 2018. [Update (Update: it was not finished until 2019.)] Design for the new bridge was done in 2011. But environmentalists delayed construction until a groundbreaking on March 8, 2016. [Groundbreaking] Rodanthe citizens were complaining about the extra cost to address environmental costs. [Protest] My reaction is that people should not have been allowed to live on the outer banks in the first place. That is, even the first bridge should not have been built.

A video of the replacement construction indicates the bridge is higher with fewer piers. I assume the height is to get it above storm surges. They explained that fewer piers are used so that they can afford to make them deeper to better withstand sand erosion.

Satellite, Jan 2017 access

I saved a satellite image because it will change and because it includes an ocean going boat. I find it interesting that the propwash is about as long as the ship itself. It must be going rather fast considering how close it is to the bridge. The captain must be confident in his "aim." Or maybe it is easier to steer more accurately with a strong flow past the rudder.

It must be the winter time because I found only three cars on it in the satellite image. A Street View shows a boat and only one car. This is the first bridge I have seen that seems to have more boat traffic than auto traffic. But a Google Photo shows that it does have a lot of traffic sometimes. I assume the busy time is in the Summer.

Update:

Satellite, Jan 2020 access

Patrick Scales posted
Joe Eller Im surprised NCDOT let them use a grease splattering diesel hammer.
Justin Burgesd But they have to collect the spoils from jetting! Haha.
Mark Joseph Steven provided a short video of a hammer in operation

Patrick Scales posted

Justin Ramsey posted two photos with the comment: "Couple pictures of the Bonner Bridge replacement, Outer Banks, North Carolina."

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This is some of the photos posted by Brenton Jenkins with the comment: "Couple of our cranes getting out to work in Outer Banks NC."

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[Note the precast segments on the barge waiting to be lifted into place.]

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Screenshot, NCDOT
Exciting progress is being made at the sites of the Bonner Bridge Replacement Project! See the progress for yourself in this month's Bonner Bridge Replacement Project Update..

Shelton Reynolds posted
Setting pre cast segments. Can anyone guess what crane.
Shelton Reynolds 4600 ringer on a barge

Shelton commented on his posting

Ryan Fish posted two photos with the comment: "New bridge being put in in the Outer Banks in NC. Saw these on the way out and was lucky enough to see them on the way back."

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Billy Charles Jones Jr. posted six photos with the comment: "New bridge construction at pea island Outer Banks NC. 16 Manitowoc cranes and one 60 ton Grove perched on top if my count was correct."
Ben Stalvey Nice 4600 Ringer
Devin Parsons Your count is correct sir (that's my home town)

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Patrick Scales commented on the above posting

Lee Hartson commented on the above posting
Offloading the first permanent piles for the approaches with the 1200 and 999

Patrick Scales posted
Jeremy Beaird Vibratory down then drop hammer to refusal?

Brandy Williams Sm,ith posted
Bonner Bridge
Outer Banks, North Carolina 
They have 3 sections up now

Fishin' Frenzy posted 40 photos. I picked the photo that shows the most progress and another one that shows the old and new bridges side-by-side.

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Mike Jones posted nine photos with the comment: "Just another crane day.. Oregon Inlet bridge."

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Brandy Williams Smith shared six photos with the comment: "Outer Banks, North Carolina."

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Damian Crowley posted
4600 ringer Bonner Bridge NC
Lee Hartson Precast caps got a lil weight there bubba!
Damian Crowley Yeah it was the first heavy pick since the rigs been here.
Ray Soblotne Hey I took that picture!

Screenshot at 0:005 from CarolinaDesignsRealty

Damian Crowley posted two photos with the comment: "4600 and a 4100 in the back setting girders on the Bonner Bridge project. North Carolina USA."

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Travis Lewark commented on Damian's posting

Partick Scales posted
[A Manitowoc 999 helping to disassemble a Liebeihr]

A Oct 2018 satellite image shows some of the pier work has started:

Satellite

The work must be winding down because they are shipping this crane to Boston. Someone commented about how well it was strapped down. Travelling on the open seas would explain the need. Justin Smith posted three photos with the comments: "4100 ringer stopped by my work today." and "It came from North Carolina and is headed to Boston. Stopped at my yard in Baltimore for a couple days."
Damian Crowley That just left the Bonner Bridge project I was on in the OBX.

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Bonner Bridge Opening Delayed to February / March 2019

IslandFreepress
Bridge celebration Feb 9, 2019, opening expected mid-February

NCDOT from IslandFreepress
"The Bonner Bridge Replacement Project began in March 2016. The new $252 million bridge is 2.8 miles long, 90 feet high at its apex, and is designed for a 100-year life span."

Using high-durability concrete, stainless reinforcing steel and other engineering features, the new bridge will have a 100-year life span and will provide more options for navigation under the bridge. [NCDOT]

RoadsBridges-general

This bridge was completed Feb 25, 2019 for a bid price $25.8m below NCDOT's initial estimate.

RoadsBridges-general

In order to achieve the 100-year service life, NCDOT prescribed robust concrete mix designs in the contract, which included extensive use of fly ash, ground granulated blast furnace slag, silica fume, a low water-cement ratio, and calcium nitrite corrosion inhibitor. In addition, for the first time in the state’s history, the department also prescribed cast-in-place concrete to be reinforced with stainless steel to provide additional corrosion protection and reduce future maintenance costs. [RoadsBridges-general]

As we close or convert coal plants will fly ash become more expensive because it is no longer an abundant waste product? And as we close fully integrated steel plants such as Zug Island, will blast furnace slag become more expensive?

The 1960s bridge has been a maintenance headache for NCDOT because of pier scour. So particular attention was paid to design better foundations for this bridge to tolerate scour.

RoadsBridges-award
Basnight Bridge in North Carolina: courtesy of HDR

DFI highlights some of the key notable aspects of the bridge, including its capability of resisting wind, wave, and vessel collision forces from the worst storms in the Atlantic Ocean. The institute also notes that the new bridge is subject to 12 ft/s currents (8 mph), winds up to 105 mph, and vessel impacts up to 2,151 kips. The foundations for the new bridge were designed to resist scour as deep as 84 ft below sea level. [RoadsBridges-award]

The bridge foundation design was key to project success, but also posed the greatest challenges. Driven, prestressed concrete piles were selected for the long spans as well as the approach and transition spans, and provided the required strength and durability. To address the concern of how to drive large displacement piles through dense sand, the team developed innovative jetting installation methods. The need to optimize the design led to the extensive use of refined soil-structure interaction analyses.
The approach spans, with significantly less scour and ship impact loads, are supported by highly-efficient foundations with three or four 54 in (1,372 mm) diameter vertical concrete cylinder piles. The transition spans and the high level, long navigational spans use a combination of cast-in-place reinforced concrete pile caps with six to thirty, 36 in (914 mm) square concrete piles in a battered configuration to provide greater lateral resistance against wind and ship impact loads under deeper scour conditions. In total, there are 690 piles measuring more than 15 mi (24.1 km) in total length of piles installed.
[DeepFoundationsInstitute]

safe_image
Won one of 25 Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute Design Award for 2020

Satellite image update:

Satellite, Mar 2020 access

Patrick Scales posted
Bonner Bridge NC
Bob Meyers I drove by it a few years ago and they had rented a rig from Weeks Marine the 575 I had worked on the previous year. I counted 8 manitowocs on my way to vacation.
Jerry Biche Worked on 4600 on the in upstate New York glad to see her still running!!

I grabbed some street views from the new bridge before they removed the old bridge. I went from South to North. The Image Capture date is May 2019.

Street View

Street View

Street View

Street View
The barge crane is a ringer. I learned it is a Manitowoc 4600 ringer. This is the best view of the ring on a barge that I have seen.

Street View

Street View, looking backwards

Street View, at the north end looking backwards

I posted a couple of the above street views with the comment:

A couple of views of a 4600 ringer helping to dismantle the Bonner Bridge in the Outerbanks. This is the URL for the first view.
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.7704711,-75.5357281,3a,58.4y,42.42h,76.73t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1siHIjvzKIRYe0Kg0IzhVHXA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656I like this view because it is the best view that I have seen of the ring on the barge. This view will disappear the next time the Street View Car drives across the new Marc Basnight Bridge.

Jerry Biche I remember that crane when it was just a couple years old. Great to see it still working!
Ben Stalvey Sweet 4600 Ringer

Video  (source)

Video (source)

A video of a "jaw" being used to remove pier caps during the bonner Bridge demo.