State Road 686 VECP
St. Petersburg, FL

Metz & Associates, in association with SEMA Construction, Inc., developed, proposed and executed a major VECP redesign of a 1,515 foot long bridge over 2 local roads, one ramp, a canal, and the Pinellas County Bridgeway Acres Landfill. The span arrangement, foundations, substructure and superstructure were redesigned in less than 9 months with bridge construction starting in less than 6 months.  The modified bridge configuration allowed the bridge profile to be lowered as much as five feet which resulted in the reduction of the amount of embankment fill and MSE wall material.  Our team eliminated a customized pile foundation system in lieu of a more cost effective drilled shaft foundation system.  The span arrangement was modified to allow the use of the recently adopted Florida I- Beam.  The VECP received approval from FDOT District 7 on the merits of MOT improvements, a $1.5 million construction cost savings and improved durability.