Trains pass frequently along the Norfolk
Southern tracks that run through Lebanon,
Pennsylvania. At 10th Street, as trains barreled
down the tracks, drivers were stopped in theirs
as long lines of traffic backed up at the railroad
crossing. While a regular inconvenience
to those travelling 10th Street, the situation
was a serious one for emergency vehicles
that were often delayed when transporting
patients to area hospitals or responding to
emergency calls. With more than 55 trains
passing through town each day, city leaders
knew that the ongoing traffic issues would
only worsen over time. Together with the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation,
they developed a plan to build a bridge over
the 10th Street crossing.
In September 2012 10th Street closed for
bridge construction to begin. One of the
challenges faced by the project contractor,
JD Eckman, Inc. was a 5" precast concrete
wall panel façade erected outside the fascia
beams. Deck concrete was poured short
over the beams leaving only a 3" maximum
dimension to place a hanger for supplemental
closure pour. Traditional wire hangers require
a minimum of 5" to work.
Dayton Superior was approached by their
distributor, Valley Supply to help form a solution.
Dayton Superior engineers were able to
reduce the minimum dimension down to 3"
with the Century Series Bridge Deck Hanger.
The laser-cut, one piece design of the Century
Series Bridge Deck Hangers meets higher load
capacity criteria and doesn’t require any special
installation equipment. These features
contributed to the contractor’s ability to
stay on schedule, avoiding costly construction
delays.
“To my knowledge, the Century Series Hanger
is the only hanger of its type on the market
today,” said Mike Maben, Project Manager
with JD Eckman, Inc.