Innovative Bridge Pier Installation Using the Super Reach Attachment System: Insights from the design-build Jimmie Davis Bridge Replacement Project-Paper

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The Jimmie Davis Bridge Replacement in Shreveport, Louisiana, is a $360 million design-build project to construct a four-lane bridge beside the existing two-lane crossing. The new bridge is intended to double vehicle capacity, while the original structure will be repurposed for pedestrians and cyclists.<br /><br />R.R. Cassidy Inc. is installing 45 drilled shafts for three bridge piers, working from a floating barge in the Red River. Each pier is supported by 15 shafts, 58.5 inches (1.49 m) in diameter and approximately 100–150 feet (30–46 m) deep. Installation involves surface and permanent casing, polymer slurry to stabilize the boreholes, sediment inspection, reinforcing-cage placement, and tremie concreting. Strict inspection and sequencing requirements help ensure shaft quality and prevent disturbance to newly poured piles.<br /><br />A central challenge was selecting equipment that could reach all shaft locations while maintaining stability on a relatively small barge. Engineering analysis found that a conventional fixed-mast rig could not safely meet both requirements. The team instead used a duty-cycle foundation crane fitted with a Super Reach Attachment (SRA), a crane-mounted leader system providing extended drilling reach and the torque and downforce needed for the work. The crane could remain centrally positioned, reach the required pile locations without moving the barge, and discharge spoil directly to a separate barge. Crane mats and deck anchoring supported the setup without requiring structural modifications to the barge.<br /><br />The project demonstrates how collaboration among the contractor, engineers, and equipment manufacturer, combined with adaptive equipment selection and construction planning, can address demanding marine foundation conditions safely and efficiently.

Keywords

Jimmie Davis Bridge

Shreveport Louisiana

bridge replacement

design-build project

drilled shafts

floating barge

Red River

duty-cycle crane

Super Reach Attachment

marine foundation construction