New Woodrow Wilson Bridge

Construction Manager Takes Questions and Comments

Jim Ruddell, construction manager for the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge, was online Friday, May 19, at 11 a.m. ET to field questions and comments about the construction process, Thursday's dedication and how the new bridge might affect commuting in the Washington, D.C., area.

Photos: A Bridge to Better Commutes

Panoramic View:

Bridge Dedication

Video: Dedication

From The Post:

Fanfare Above the Potomac (Post, May 19)

Commute's New Dawn (Post, May 14)

The transcript follows.

____________________

Jim Ruddell: Welcome to the discussion concerning the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project. The $2.44 Billion WWB Project is actually a 7.5 mile section of the I-94/I-495 Beltway corridor that includes reconstruction of four interchanges and a new, 1.2 mile long, 12 lane bridge. The interchanges are at Telegraph Road, Route 1, I-295 and I-210. There are 32 prime contracts and more than 220 subcontractors on the project, with a peak work force of 1400. The project is on time and on budget - a rarity for mega-projects.

Schedule-

8:00 PM June 9 to 5:00 AM June 12 2006 - Switch Outer Loop Traffic onto south half of the new bridge

8:00 PM July 14 to 5:00 AM July 17 2006 - Switch Inner Loop Traffic onto the south half of the new bridge

Late July 2006 - Begin demolition of the existing bridge

Summer of 2008 - Switch traffic onto its final alignment on the completed bridge. This includes opening a 12' wide hiker/biker connection on the north edge of the new Inner Loop bridge.

Spring 2009 - Complete 295 and 210 Interchanges in MD and Route 1 Interchange in VA

Fall 2011 - Project Complete with the full opening of the reconstructed Telegraph Road Interchange in VA

_______________________

McLean, Va.: So often projects the size of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge are behind schedule and over budget. As Construction Manager for the project to what do you attribute the projects success ?

Jim Ruddell: We have worked very hard to create an environment in which our contractors can be productive. This started with the project planning. For example, construction professionals participated in establishing permit requests by considering contractor access needs, working room requirements, material deliveries and other aspects that a re curcuail to contractor success. Our goal was to anticipate likely contractor processes and accommodate them in our permits, plans and specifications. We also intigrated a disciplined partnering process, setting the stage for using dialogue rather than letters to address potentially contentious issues. We hold weekly conference calls and review every active contract on the corridor. Lastly we empower our contractors to resolve issues among themselves, even to the extent of adjusting access release dates by mutual agreement. The results have been notable and we attribute our success to the contractors embracing the spirit of the program approach.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: What stage has planning for the bridge's express lanes reached? It seems that a metrorail link across the bridge could be an important component of broadening transit use in the region.

Jim Ruddell: The bridge is designed to accommodate either HOV or transit. This entailed some structural enhancements to the draw spans to maintain the rigidity and alignment requirements for METRO cars crossing a movable bridge.

No decision has been made concerning the selection of HOV or transit. Funding is the major issue.

_______________________

Gaithersburg, Md.: About how long will it take bring down the old bridge?

Jim Ruddell: About 3 months of work. The contractor building the Maryland approach plans to use the old bridge to speed construction of the new Inner Loop spans. So, the Maryland portion will not start to come down until 2007.

_______________________

Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.: From what I've read, both inner and outer loop traffic will be transferred to the new span while construction proceeds on the second new span and demolition proceeds on the old bridge. This won't actually make more lanes available to carry traffic. Why do they not delay demolition on the old bridge and allow it to carry the inner loop until the second span is completed. It seems like a no-brainer. What am I missing here?

Jim Ruddell: Even in the interim condition (3 lanes each way) half of the new bridge will offer a full shoulder for break down vehicles, a superior riding surface and a draw spans that opens 60 times a year instead of 260 times a year. We should see more consistency in travel times with these benefits.

The old bridge cannot remain in service because it is in conflict with new bridge foundations.

_______________________

Gaithersburg, Md.: Will it be ok for persons to walk on either bridge between mid june and mid july on the weekends when traffic is only on half of the lines then?

Jim Ruddell: In 2008, the new IL bridge will open with a fenced and protected walkway that connects Oxon Hill, MD to the Mt Vernon Trail in VA.

Prior to 2008, it will be unsafe for pedestrians. Our contractors are working 6 and 7 days a week this June and July and their insurance coverages do not allow the public within their construction site.

_______________________

Ft. Washington, Washington, D.C.: Can you explain The difference between express lanes and local traffic lanes? How will you be able to get from the express to the local lanes or vice versa?

Jim Ruddell: The express lanes will carry interstate travelers through the 7.5 mile corridor without an opportunity to exit. 70% of travelers currently use one of the 4 interchanges in the corridor. This contributes to congestion and an increase in accidents. By providing express lanes, interstate truckers can stay out of the commuter weaves and make the journey more safe for all.

_______________________

Fairfax Station, Va.: I just wanted to ay how much I like the radio commercials for the Wilson Bridge. They are so informative -- just really well done.

Jim Ruddell: Thank you. I am sure that John Undeland, who heads the Project's public relations effort for Stratacom, will enjoy learning this.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Will the demolition of the old bridge be done by explosives? Or will it be taken apart piece by piece?

Jim Ruddell: The deck concrete will be taken down by conventional means. Our VA span contractor has a plan afoot to use blasting chord to sever the existing steel girders once the deck is off. Once on the ground, the old girders would be cut with power shears and trucked off site. Once the girders are down, the piers would come down by conventional demolition methods (no explosives).

We have not received the contractors' demolition plans for either the existing bascule section or the MD approach spans.

_______________________

Toledo, Ohio: I moved away some years ago but still have many friends in the area. I'm sooo disappointed to see from the photos that the bridge is still a drawbridge. If it's still true that boat servicing The Washington Post are the only boats to ever use the drawbridge, shouldn't The Post have to pay all the costs incurred in its construction?

Jim Ruddell: A high bridge would need 135' clearance over the shipping channel. This causes two major issues.

1. With the shipping channel nestled up against the VA shore the beltway would need to drop fairly steeply (for interstate standards) beneath South Washington Street. There would need to be about 1/2 mile of 4% grade, which would slow trucks down to about 32 miles per hour.

2. Aesthetically, a high bridge (like the Nice Bridge - Route 301) is considered inconsistent with the cultural fabric of Old Town Alexandria.

At the time of bridge type selection, the Post was a source of bridge openings for barges carrying their paper stock. In recent years, the Post has their stock delivered by truck. Other users are the Navy and historic tall ships. We can all celebrate that private sail boats users will not require the new bridge to open. The 20' of additional clearance over the shipping channel reduces the number of opening from about 260 per year to 60 per year.

_______________________

McLean, Va.: It looks like your leadership really made a difference. What will you do differently on the management of the 2nd span?

Jim Ruddell: During the past 3 years, we learned a lot about how to build complex concrete segments on the water. Speed and out-of-the-casting-bed quality will continue to go up. Our focus will be on continuing to support our contractors by giving them timely responses, dealing fairly with legitimate changes and managing third party issues so that they can concentrate on what they do best - building.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Have there been any fatalities associated with the new span construction?

Jim Ruddell: One. It occurred on an interchange contract in 2001. With over 8 million hours worked, we are running about 40% of the industry average for lost time accidents.

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: Why is the new bridge a draw bridge?

Jim Ruddell: See reply to reader from Toledo.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Can you give us more details of exactly how the switch-over will take place on the weekend of June 9 and would it be a good idea to avoid the bridge that weekend or even Monday the 12th?

Jim Ruddell: Stay Away!!! Stay Away !!! STAY AWAY !!!

The two weekends of work will be intense for us, as we need to coordinate the work of 6 separate contractors working in three jurisdictions. We want to get it right, keep our workers safe and deliver an improvement to the public at the end of each weekend that will give you something to write home about.

The work will entail one-laning the beltway each weekend. It will be long and ugly if you attempt to travel the corridor, and your presence will delay us in receiving the materials we need to get the work done. Help us help you by STAYING AWAY !

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: What would you say have been some of the biggest obstacles to overcome in the planning stages for the bridge?

Jim Ruddell: The technical issues were truly daunting, but engineers are good at handling them. Our most severe challenges were people related. For example:

Getting on the same page with the sponsoring jurisdictions. The project has pieces in VA, MD, and DC. DC employees operate the existing draws span because it is located in DC. This is the only bridge on the Interstate system owned by FHWA. At the end of the project, VA and MD will take joint ownership. We have a Maryland State Highway Contract performed on Virginia soil within the limits of a National Park that is leased by the City of Alexandria. Figuring out who is in charge has been a challenge at times.

If you caught any of yesterday's dedication ceremony news, the speakers got it right by lauding the collaboration that we ultimately achieved.

_______________________

FORT WASHINGTON, Md.: What kind of delays should we expect with the merge of the bridge and how long?

Jim Ruddell: Not sure I understand the question. I'll try to cover two parts.

For the traffic switch weekends this summer, we are forecasting hours of delay. The first date is 8:00PM Friday, June 9th through 5:00 AM Monday, June 12th. The second date is 8:00PM Friday, July 14th through 5:00AM Monday, July 17th.

At the end of each of these weekends, we are expecting that there will be some initial driver acclimation time - say,3 to 5 days. Once driver's get patterned to the new alignment, my prediction is that we will see an immediate reduction in the accident rate and an overall reduction in the average travel times - attributable to shoulders for getting broken down vehicle out of the travel lanes and 75% fewer bridge openings.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Frequently when projects fail, there is plenty of blame to go around. But when they are on time and budget, who should really get the credit?

Jim Ruddell: Success has many fathers.

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: How long is this bridge designed to last and what kind of maintenance schedule does it have (i.e., when will it need to be resurfaced, painted, etc.)?

Jim Ruddell: MSHA and VDOT took great care to have the designer of record, Parsons, design a robust structure. Features include

low-permeability deck concrete (Greatly slows the speed at which road salts contact the reinforcing steel)

Stainless Steel rebar for the draw span decks

VERY robust structural elements, with a lot of reserve capacity.

The bridge is deigned for 75 years, however, bridge life is really a function of its care and maintenance. Bridge decks tend to be the first elements to require major maintenance investment. The WWB enhanced deck design and construction execution should give us about double the life cycle before needing major rehab, say 20 to 30 years.

The new bridge has a movable barrier so that traffic can switch from the local to express lanes. This addresses emergency situations and also accommodates a traffic diversion for future bridge deck maintenance in the middle of the night.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: There has been an increasing movement related to "green construction", what aspects of the new bridge might qualify?

Jim Ruddell: Green construction addresses many elements. By delivering a bridge that requires fewer maintenance cycles, we significantly reduce the future expenditure of fuels and materials and disposal of removed materials.

We use biodegradable hydraulic oil for all marine based equipment.

We developed a technique to protect fish while driving piles under water than won a national environmental award.

On a more specific note, we have 17 environmental mitigation projects, some of which are 70 miles from the project corridor. We planted Eel grass in the Chesapeake bay, created tidal wetlands, break waters, removed stream blockages so that fish could extend spawning grounds, planed 3 trees for each tree taken on site, and established an 84 acre eagle sanctuary.

Lots of stuff that was very exciting.

_______________________

Ashburn, Va.: So will the traffic coming back from Redskins' game not stop suddenly at the "5 miles to bridge" sign from now on and take us about 45 minutes to cross?

Jim Ruddell: My prediction is that you will see a notable improvement after the summer of 2008. It would be great to receive your input on whether there is any perceived benefit during the 2006/2007 season.

_______________________

Fairfax, Va.: Could you say a bit about the demographics of the workforce? How many of the workers are from DC? suburbs? exurbs? migrants who chase big projects around the country? How much training/apprenticeship generated? I'm wondering if there will be any long-term effect on the DC area's skilled workforce.

Jim Ruddell: Although we don't keep data on demographics, most contractor managers and supervisors tend to come from the areas of their employer. Local contractors tend to have local managers and supervisors; out of state contractors tend to import their managerial staff. The work force is predominantly local, with specialty trades like post tensioning coming from farther afield.

Hispanics are the largest minority group in the work force. There are contract requirements to hire and train minorities and women.

Many of the experienced trades employees have a lot of commercial building experience, but have learned how to perform heavy highway and marine bridge construction. The legacy of skilled workers will be an asset to the region.

_______________________

Wellington, Fla.: I will be traveling from Florida to Maine that first half week in June. I will probably be coming through D.C. on Friday. What is an alternative from D.C. to Philadelphia. It sounds like a nightmare in that section.

Jim Ruddell: If you get through this corridor before 8:00 PM on Friday, June 9th, you will miss our operations. After 8:00 PM, my suggestion would be to take I-495 and stay on the WEST side of DC. It is possible that this will be your only choice, as we are pursuing a closure of the connections from I-95 northbound to the Outer Loop at the Springfield Interchange for that weekend.

_______________________

Waldorf, Md.: This is probably already in your plans, but please consider having plenty of signage up and down the 95 corridor from N.C. to N.J. warning motorists of the potential for terrible backups during the switchover weekends. If people know well in advance and can follow marked detours over the American Legion Bridge or Nice Bridge(301), it will be much more pleasant for everyone.

Jim Ruddell: Your comments are well taken. During the Beltway shift in the summer of 2005, we reduced beltway traffic to one lane over two weekends. Our outreach efforts were so comprehensive that we had far less volume during the first weekend than we expected. This enabled us to finish about 7 hours ahead of schedule!! This word got out, so that folks didn't believe us when we asked them to stay away during the second weekend. We ended up with 4-plus hour traffic back ups and a real tough time getting deliveries to our work.

_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: RE: Ashburn, Va. Not related to bridge construction, but you'd do a whole letter better heading home from the game by way of the outer loop through Montgomery County, and over the American Legion Bridge. A much easier ride post-game.

Jim Ruddell: Thank you for sharing your advice!

_______________________

Washingdon, D.C.: With two large-scale projects in close proximity, do members of your project frequently communicate with those managing the Springfield Interchange project?

Jim Ruddell: Yes. We give particular focus to to coordinating lane closures.

_______________________

Bowie, Md.: Hi Mr. Ruddell,

As a fellow Stanford Alum, I just wanted to thank you for the opportunity to tour the bridge with you in a couple of weeks! My husband and I are looking forward to it. Great job!

Jim Ruddell: Me too! Glad you can make the tour.

_______________________

Jim Ruddell: My thanks to Katie McLeod and Steve Ginsberg of The Post for making this opportunity available. You all asked great questions and kept things lively. Please visit the project Web site at www.wilsonbridge.com for more information.

_______________________

Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.