Precast Bridge Abutments used on Wisconsin Highway Project

Precast bridge abutment panel

Precast bridge abutment panelOn Wisconsin State Highway 63 near the village of Baldwin, a WisDOT project is using precast bridge abutments to shave 30 percent off of the overall construction time.  The foundatios consist of driven piles, and after pile driving, the contractor, Alfred Benesch & Company (ABC) excavated around the piles and provided a bearing surface of washed stone for the precast elements.  Half of the bridge was constructed at one time to keep one lane of the old bridge in service.  The first abutment that was constructed was made from 3 panels weighing between about 30 and 40 kips each. According to the Western Builder article on the precast bridge elements, all three panels were set with a 100-ton crawler mounted crane on the morning of September 26th. The deck will be conventional cast-in-place concrete.