Courtland Street

Project Details

The Courtland Street Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) Project was a design-build project taken on by C.W. Matthews and Michael Baker International. The project reconstructed the 110-year old Courtland Street Bridge that connected Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive to Gilmer Street. The bridge is located in the City of Atlanta and serves as a major thoroughfare through the Georgia State University Campus. It also provides access to the State Capitol.

The total cost to construct the bridge was $25 million. The bridge was reconstructed in order to handle the increased traffic and heavy vehicles. The project also included a 12 foot lane for buses and an expanded sidewalk.

Originally the length of the project was 2 years but was reduced to 180 days to minimize the impact on motorists and pedestrians. Between May 2018 and October 2018 the bridge was replaced in 155 days. The team had a 24/7 presence on the project once the bridge was closed. Micropiles, precast concrete, high early strength concrete and phased-design packages were used to meet the quick deadline. Many challenges presented themselves during the course of the project such as multiple foundation types, a building that had been constructed around one of the foundations, utilities, and pedestrian access to walkways and parking garages. Despite all the challenges the team was still able to complete the project 25 days early.

The bridge is 1130 ft. long and 58 ft. wide. It has a cast-in-place deck, 86 pre-stressed concrete bulb tee girders and 13 cast in place concrete bents. There are 142 micropiles, 36 Type III beams, 28 BT-54 beams, 8 BT-63 beams and 14 BT-65 beams.