PennDOT's Adams County maintenance organization recently completed a bridge rehabilitation project on Quaker Valley Road (Route 4004) near Biglerville that included a unique feature: The concrete bridge deck slabs for the project were fabricated at the county maintenance facility.
The project also included wingwall and abutment repairs, new parapets, and guide rail upgrades.
According to Doug Etter, county assistant maintenance manager, who oversaw the project, the practice of casting the concrete deck is not new to the county, but it is rare.
"This is the fourth or fifth one in Adams County," he said. "We formed everything up in the (maintenance) yard – put all the rebar in and poured the concrete right there. We let them sit for 28 days, stripped the forms, then used a crane to put them on a low boy and take them to the job site."
The slabs were put in place by a county bridge crew.
The project "turned out great," Etter said.
According to Dave Rock, assistant district executive for maintenance in PennDOT District 8, using department force crews to cast concrete bridge decks is a cost-effective way of maintaining state bridges in the district.
"Having the capability to cast our own bridge decks allows small department force bridge projects to be completed in a less costly and more efficient manner," he said. "Our maintenance crews are top-notch and I'm very pleased with how this project turned out."