The $228 million I-480 Valley View Bridge / Design-Build is the largest active project in the State of Ohio and the fourth largest in ODOT history. ODOT engineers came up with a plan to turn 2 bridges into 3 bridges. The I-480 bridge project benefits the 180,000 vehicles who utilize these bridges daily. The Walsh Design team along with ODOT designed and constructed a new 4,150-foot, center 4-lane bridge in the median space between the existing eastbound and westbound bridges, which helped eliminate traffic congestion.
The new bridge is 200’ feet above the Cuyahoga River Valley below. Erection of the center bridge was a key challenge / aspect of the project where the use of conventional ground mounted cranes was nearly impossible due to the constrained space between the existing structures. To solve this challenge, traverse gantry cranes were used spanning between both structures to erect the steel for the new center bridge.
This project started in 2019 with V&S Galvanizing and the fabricator JR Hoe & Sons located in Middlesboro, Kentucky, working side by side to accomplish this large project in Independence (Cleveland), Ohio.
One of the key components that V&S brought to the table besides quality galvanizing, customer satisfaction, and on-time delivery was the ability to layout / assemble 24,000 LF of new catwalk over the three-year period at their facility. Normally, it would take 1-2 days per TL for the V&S team to assemble the multiple grating sizes to the frames for the 30 truckloads per year. Communication by the V&S Inside Sales team was a big key to the success of his project: daily, weekly calls regarding assembly, shipping details, and handling of the multiple truckloads of material delivered to the job site.
The 24,000 LF of catwalk was added on the new bridge as well as the renovated bridges. Having a galvanized structure will allow for passengers to have safe commutes for years to come without worrying about the durability to the coating system.
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