FORMWORK FOR THE PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BEAM OF DAMBAI BRIDGE

 

 Recorded on 8 Sept 2015 at 9.10am.

I regreted not asking or measuring the dimensions of this beam which was constructed on one lane of the new road, but I estimated the length to be 20 metres.  It had two steel tendons, one at bottom and another nearer the middle of the beam depth. 

Anyhow any bridge structure design engineers can tell this is simply a standard design shape and sizes.

My purpose was to record on my camera the history of this bridge construction for future reference by any students or lecturers at any universities or institution to get a feel of the dimensions with the car as a scale to compare.

DAMBAI BRIDGE PROGRESS AS ON 26 FEB 2015

Major works done, getting ready to install the RHS pier to abutment short concrete beams 5 in number by backfilling behind the RH abutment.

On the LHS, I think the LH side deck is ready for concreting.

 End of the LHS abutment to pier bridge deck.  Note they used polystyrene as part of the formwork. I ask the workers if the white stuff will remain there after the concrete has matured. They seems to think so as they would be really below the bridge.  The planks and plywood can be removed but the polystyrene ??

 Close up of the rebars at the end of the bridge deck.

On the RHS, one excavator is used to fill the road with gravels.  On this last pic, the large boulders found here were left underground, just filled over with these stones.  No problems with that. Also they started installing the place markers for the rubber bearings on top of abutment pile cap for each of the short RHS rc beams.

DAMBAI BRIDGE PROGRESS AS ON 17 FEB 2015

Progress seems slow from the public opinion because the traffic jam is getting worse along this road everyday.

For the contractor, the progress is slow but steady, at least there was not stop work except on public holidays.

 A sorry sight for the slow death of Bambangan tree,  the roots cannot even get any rain water.

 Behind the right abutment. There is no need to even remove that in-situ boulder because I bet that will only give additional strength to the road pavement to be filled with gravels later.
Note: the rubber bearings not installed yet, only the position markers and grout were prepared. Installation of the 5 short reinforce beams here are pending, maybe the completion of the left bank side.

 View from the RHS bank.  The RH pier and the LH bridge slab under construction at the other side.

 Another view showing what are under the bridge and the safety fence built with wall claddings, fixed on top of the old bridge railings.

LHS close up via zoom lens

 LHS showing workers temporary quarters and earthworks or the leftover of the temporary earthworks to access to the bottom of river.

 Note again that the bridge deck is sloping downstream, to ensure there will be no ponding on the bridge deck.

Workers installing the rebars for the bridge concrete safety wall.

I bet a car crashing onto that wall will not dent that wall at all, but a heavy truck might still fall over the bridge, just like in the movies??  he he

DAMBAI BRIDGE PROGRESS AS SEEN ON 5 FEBRUARY 2015

Hi loyal readers. Apologies my blog has been a bit behind time due to constraints but here goes.
Photo paints a thousand words so here are the reports for you to enjoy.

 To my good friend Emmanuel, the two pics above shows workers installing what seems to be 16mm diam steel reinforcing bars across the 5 rf concrete beams with plywood underneath to support the pouring of concrete for the bridge deck slab.

 The midspan prestressed beams are still waiting at the nearby yard waiting to be installed, definitely after completion of the abutment-pier spans first.

And the poor Bambangan tree is slowly dying from thirst.

 View of the ends of the rf concrete beams at the left hand side of the bridge. Shows formworks, falseworks and the abutment concrete on which the 5 beams are placed supported by the rubber bearings.

And the contractor also installed safety fence running over the railings of the old bridge.
Also preventing the public to see the progress from their cars now.  He he

PROGRESS AT THE BRIDGE ON 22 JAN 2015

 

There was a flood again on 21st January where the average depth at Penampang was around 3 ft deep.

Next day I check out the bridge to see what effects the floods as per these pics.

Backfill behind the retaining wall turfed with grass.  See how it prevents the soil erosion.

The Right Hand Bank abutment under construction was also filled with flood water

Flood after one day, this photo here shows the space previously filled with gravels for construction access, now able to pass the flood waters.

Connection rebars to connect the beams to the top slabs of the bridge.

Preparing the formwork and falsework for the bridge slab.

Hydraulic flow of the flood waters on the bored pile column.

Construction of the highway drains after the bridge on the way to Donggongon.

PROGRESS AS ON 8 JANUARY 2015

Hi folks.

I pass the old bridge everyday for my breakfast at Donggongon Town and see some activities that I deem mundane.

However on 8 January I saw that there is a big tall crane which I was told by the crew can carry up to 1000 tons. Wow.

And they had already installed 3 shorter rectangular cross-section reinforced concrete beams. So I parked my car a few metres away as usual, then walked to take pics and see how they installed the beams.

Not long after that a long truck came carrying just on of the beams, number 4 and they proceeded to install it by lifting it from the lorry and placing it between the pier and the abutment. The traffic was held for just 5 minutes away from the beam being lifted by the crane.

As soon as the beam was lifted up, the truck moved on and the traffic was allowed to continue as soon as the beam is safely away from the road, as you can see from the attached video.

Here are some pics I have taken.

 Rubber bearing at the left abutment

 Rubber bearings at the left Pier
Not the size with the standard carpenter levelling instrument

 The 1000 ton crane lifting the fourth r/f concrete beam

 The pier at the RHS of the river, only the fibre based is fixed, without the rubber bearing because here, the abutment is not even casted yet.

2 pics showing the RH pier while the abutment is yet to be constructed. Only the bored piles are completed here.

 Back to the left bank, a closer look at the rubber bearing

 The fourth beam after being installed in about 15 minutes

The last 6 pics showing the 5th beams being lifted from another truck and installed.

video here:

PROGRESS ON THE BRIDGE JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS

These pictures were taken on 18th December 2014

The pre-stressed beams are still not installed because their lifting cranes must still be used elsewhere on another bridge construction

So they dug up the temporary fill and reinstated the slope of the river bank protecting it with gabions and concrete surface, so that flow of water during floods will not be hampered under the bridge.

See for yourself if you like them.

 Note the one row of gabions at the bottom of the concreted slope.

 Full view of the concreted slope

 Excavator stabilising the bottom of slope near bottom of river

 Excavating the RH bank to do the same type of concreting

Meanwhile down below, a crane is hoping to catch fish from the river.