Primera provided structural design services for three new bridges located on the new Thorn Creek Bicycle Trail which runs within the Cook County Forest Preserve. The project consisted of the construction of two segments of bicycle trail including drainage improvements, grading, seeding, bridge structures, retaining walls, pavement marking, pedestrian signal heads, erosion control, tree removal, traffic control, and more.
Primera’s work the piers, abutments, wingwalls and foundation systems to support the prefabricated trusses for the new structures. The prefabricated bridges were placed on cast-in-place foundations that were built on piles. One of the bridges consists of five-spans (170 feet each) over railroad tracks and the other two bridges are single-span truss bridges over streams. All three are capable of carrying cyclists, pedestrians, as well as maintenance-type vehicles such as pick-up trucks. The bridges’ designs were coordinated with the bicycle trail designers and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County as well as the manufacturers of the prefabricated trusses to ensure the project was cost effective as well as served the needs of the clients and the future users of the new trail and bridges.
