Viaduct Preservation

The Scope of Work under this assignment included the inspection of the Collingswood and Westmont Station viaducts and the development of design drawings for the structural repair of the viaducts. The existing PATCO viaduct consisted of thirty-four (34) spans at the Collingswood Viaduct and twenty-seven (27) spans at the Westmont Viaduct, for a total of sixty-one (61) spans. Of these, twenty-nine (29) spans—twenty (20) at Collingswood and nine (9) at Westmont—received hands-on, in-depth inspections, while the remaining spans underwent visual inspections. The viaduct structures were composed of prestressed concrete girders, concrete decks, and reinforced concrete piers with cap beams.

SJH provided a Team Leader for the in-depth inspection of the viaduct structures. The inspection team consisted of a Team Leader and an Assistant Team Leader. The inspections were hands-on, with all concrete spalls, cracks, and other deterioration identified and documented in field notes. The concrete surface was sounded to evaluate its condition, and hollow-sounding concrete surfaces were identified, documented, and photographed. An Aerial Work Platform (AWP) or a manlift was used to access the underside of the viaduct structural elements. The SJH Team Leader also participated in the visual inspection of the remaining viaduct spans. SJH coordinated the traffic control and lane closures required for the inspections. Photographs were taken at deterioration locations, and measurements were recorded for the development of design drawings and the preparation of the construction cost estimate.

Upon completion of the inspections, SJH’s Team Leader participated in and assisted with the preparation of the Design Report, which included all inspection findings and recommendations for the repair of the viaduct structural elements. Conceptual repair details were developed and included in the report for approval by DRPA.