On behalf of the TxDOT Wharton Area Office, VRX’s CEI team is overseeing the construction of this $10.5M new bridge over the Colorado River in Columbus, Texas. The new construction is ongoing next to an existing truss bridge. VRX is also overseeing the construction of bridge approaches.

Between the time of design and the start of construction, Hurricane Harvey drastically affected the banks of the Colorado River along major stretches. The VRX project team was concerned the original bridge design would no longer be structurally acceptable because of shore degradation, leading to less embedment length of the drilled shaft foundations. VRX Project Manager Dominick Trupia, PE, and his team worked with the Contractor and the Engineer of Record (EOR) to survey the existing shoreline and surveyed into the water itself to check elevations of the river bed.

VRX reviewed the proposed drilled shaft depth with the EOR and ensured the depth was still adequate to provide the necessary skin friction. The team also reviewed the proposed barge operation launching areas for construction to verify their constructability.

VRX’s CEI team provides construction management and inspection services on all project aspects, including utility relocations, storm sewer installations, bridge construction from substructure to superstructure, and bridge approaches.