Good Shepherd Pedestrian Bridge

Construction Value:
$500,000
Client:
Good Shepherd Rehabilitation
Architect:
Howard Kulp Architects

Due to the deterioration of the highly visible Good Shepherd elevated pedestrian bridge over 6th Street in Allentown, they were in dire need of replacing the existing structure which is a vital link in their daily operations of transporting patients and services between the hospital and the resident hall. Good Shepherd could not exceed 30 days of downtime for the reconstruction of the bridge. Moreover, the bridge spans state route 145 and the PA Department of Transportation would not allow closure of the road during construction. Due to the logistical issues, and difficult nature and complexity of the project, virtually every construction manager shied away from the project except Allied.

Allied proposed an innovative solution which included a modification to the design that was enthusiastically embraced by Good Shepherd and the architect. The steel superstructure and exterior cladding of the bridge were built in three modular sections off-site. The existing bridge was dismantled and removed in sections as the new modular units were transported to the jobsite and set in place. Joint enclosures were then completed to provide total access by staff and patients. Through this novel approach, Allied was able to provide access to the new bridge in just 9 days … a 70% savings in downtime of vital service for Good Shepherd… after the start of demolition of the old bridge. The remainder of the project was efficiently completed resulting in a stunning addition to the campus of Good Shepherd Rehabilitation. This innovative solution reduced the cost of construction by 20% over the conventional approach that would have been used.