Hodder Avenue Underpass: An Innovative Bridge Solution with Ultra-High Performance Fibre-Reinforced Concrete

The Hodder Avenue underpass – recipient of the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI)’s Harry H. Edwards Industry Advancement Award – is a new highway bridge near Thunder Bay, Canada that utilized a modular construction approach facilitated by the extensive use of ultra-high performance fibre-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) to expedite construction, elevate aesthetic value and enhance quality and durability. Almost all structural components were precast in facilities and assembled on site using UHPFRC joints, which have compact geometries with less complexity, superior durability and strength. The precast elements include a unique UHPFRC pier cap and pier column shells, high performance concrete (HPC) box girders, sidewalks/parapet walls, abutment caps, ballast walls, slope paving panels and approach slabs. Aesthetically, the structure achieved a slender and open form with the use of shallow precast box girders and a unique pier cap visually and structurally integral with the superstructure. The cap beam was prestressed and precast fully with UHPFRC to overcome design challenges such as geometrical limitations and complex loading. The pier cap and girders were made composite using field-cast UHPFRC joints reinforced with stainless steel bars and threaded bolts. The pier columns also utilized a unique design with precast UHPFRC shells serving as an aesthetic stay-in-place form as well as a protective layer for the salt splashes during Thunder Bay’s harsh winter seasons.