Drilled Shaft Value Engineering Delivers Success to Wahoo, Nebraska Bridge

This case history illustrates how a successful "Value Engineering" redesign with slurry-drilled shafts and an O-Cell TM test saved considerable costs and expedited early completion of a large bridge project for the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR). The paper first describes the original project and its geologic setting. It then relates the inception, development and verification of the redesign concept and its implementation via NDOR’s Value Engineering Proposal (VEP) standard specification provisions. The comparative advantages of drilled shafts versus driven piles relative to the site geology, some benefits of using polymer drilling slurry and the practicality of foundation verification with an O-Cell test and cross-hole sonic logging (CSL) are discussed. The lack of redundancy in drilled shafts and the increased importance of having an experienced contractor using appropriate equipment and procedures under an effective quality control program are also emphasized. The paper concludes with a discussion of the overall impact of the VEP redesign on the project cost and schedule, as well as on NDOR’s subsequent bridge design and construction practices. The authors note that the value engineering redesign was quite successful, with the foundation installation actually finishing ten months ahead of schedule and the Contractor and the NDOR sharing $378,000 in savings. The NDOR also derived the broader, long-term value of developing acceptance of slurry-drilled shafts as a practical foundation option for their subsequent projects.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0784407134
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Full conference proceedings available on CD-ROM.
• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Civil Engineers

  1801 Alexander Bell Drive
  Reston, VA  United States  20191-4400
• Authors:
  • Qudus, Omar
  • Osterberg, Jorj
  • Waxse, Joseph A
• Conference:
  • GeoSupport 2004: Innovation and Cooperation in the Geo-Industry
  • Location: Orlando Florida, United States
  • Date: 2004-1-29 to 2004-1-31
• Publication Date: 2004

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References;
• Pagination: pp 289-298
• Monograph Title: GeoSupport 2004. Drilled Shafts, Micropiling, Deep Mixing, Remedial Methods, and Specialty Foundation Systems

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge design; Bridge foundations; Costs; Highway bridges; Quality control; Shaft sinking; Slurry; Value engineering
• Identifier Terms: Nebraska Department of Roads
• Uncontrolled Terms: Drilled shafts
• Geographic Terms: Wahoo (Nebraska)
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Finance; Geotechnology; Highways; I53: Construction of Bridges and Retaining Walls;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01000153
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0784407134
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 4 2005 2:29PM