Project Detail
The Wilson Pigott Bridge (also locally known as the State Road 31 Bridge) is a small two-lanes bascule drawbridge located near Fort Myers shores in Lee Country, Florida. It is one of four drawbridges in Lee County. It is 27 feet tall.
Project Highlights
Depending on the schedule, the bridge can be opened by horn signal (one long, one short) or by hailing the bridge tender on VHF Channel 09.
Client: Florida Department of Transportation
Location: Ft Meyers, Florida
Area: 27 ft tall with 8.23 m clearance
Finished: 2009
Cost: $8 Million
Remarks: The project was completed approximately 1 month ahead of schedule.
description
As Senior Project Engineer Scott Case managed the rehabilitation of a 27 ft tall, two-lane drawbridge. The retrofit consisted of replacement of all mechanical, hydraulic, and electrical components, as well as replacing the stringers, cover plates, live load shoes, span locks, counterweights, bearing pads, and adding stiffener plates to the main leaves for beam strengthening.
the challenges
The existing connections to all structural members consisted of over 2000 rivets that had to be replaced with high strength bolts and torqued to specifications. The bridge decking was also replaced with new metal gauge cribbing and light-weight concrete. Repairs to the existing Hopkins frame were also required as part of the improvements.
The fender system was also upgraded and brought up to code, with new fenders and connections and new rip rap placed at each abutment to improve erosion countermeasures. After completion, the structural components were carefully stripped off the existing lead-based paint and recoated to meet new specifications.
project goals
The project goals were to evaluate repair/rehabilitation and replacement options for the Wilson Pigott Bridge. The Wilson Pigott Bridge is a bascule bridge built in 1960 with a 50-year design life. This major rehabilitation happened from 1994 to 2009, with an additional rehabilitation planned for 2020.