Bring It Down Slowly: Controlled Demolition of a Deteriorated Suspended-Concrete Ceiling above an Active Urban Highway

The John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center (Hynes) in Boston, Massachusetts, spans over the Massachusetts Turnpike (Turnpike), which carries eight lanes of traffic to and from the heart of the city. A 4 in. thick suspended reinforced-concrete-ceiling slab constructed in the early 1960s comprised a total of 42,000 sq ft (weighing about 1,000 tons) and separated the underside of the Hynes from the Prudential Center Tunnel (Tunnel) below. The owner, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, maintained the slab and performed regular maintenance, rehabilitation, and repairs. Over a 50 yr life, the slab deteriorated due to corroding reinforcement, and had effectively reached the end of its useful life. Removal, however, required construction sequencing that worked around limited nightly lane closures and limited weekend tunnel shutdowns. This paper discusses how the team effectively managed limited roadway access and tight working conditions to prepare the slab for removal, the controlled-demolition approach, and challenges encountered throughout the project.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784479117.176
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9780784479117
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Civil Engineers

  1801 Alexander Bell Drive
  Reston, VA  United States  20191-4400
• Authors:
  • Smith, Rachel A
  • DiFiore, Scott J
  • Brett, Cory R
• Conference:
  • Structures Congress 2015
  • Location: Portland Oregon, United States
  • Date: 2015-4-23 to 2015-4-25
• Publication Date: 2015-4

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Pagination: pp 2044-2054
• Monograph Title: Structures Congress 2015

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Ceilings; Corrosion; Demolition; Deterioration; Reinforced concrete; Slabs; Suspended structures; Tunnels; Urban highways
• Identifier Terms: Massachusetts Turnpike
• Geographic Terms: Boston (Massachusetts)
• Subject Areas: Construction; Highways; Materials; I32: Concrete; I52: Construction of Pavements and Surfacings;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01562474
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9780784479117
• Files: TRIS, ASCE
• Created Date: Apr 29 2015 9:07AM