Bridges of Mexico: Puente Ticumán across the Rio Yautepec in the State of Morelos

October 2017 (18.7308, -99.11915) Puente Ticumán

Damage to the Puente Ticuman from the  9/19/2017 Mexico Earthquake was reported by GEER Main Team member Prof. Alesandra Morales from the University of Puerto Rico.
She wrote:
Its a  classic embankment failure. The bridge is in good condition. Minor cracking prior to the earthquake.

What the workers told her:

1) Bridge was designed by Japanese Consultants.

2) Bridge was NOT designed for heavy loads.

3) Bridge was being use for heavy loads (farming industry).

4) There's a steel bridge that runs parallel to this one and its the one that is currently being used by the locals (alternate route).

5) They will only fix the entrance/exit to the bridge so people can use it for the moment.

6) A total reconstruction of the bridge will take place next year and they are thinking about using drilled shafts.

7) Lots of bees! 

Alesandra wrote "It appears that the masonry wingwalls failed and the suddenly unrestrained embankment slid down the hill.'

Alesandra's report makes the bridge site sound like an agriculture area but the Google Photo above makes it seem more like a resort! This area near Jojutla had the most serious earthquake damage, mostly related to weak and unstable soil.

Riverside County, California Bridges: I-10 Bridges across Tex Wash

July 20, 2015 (33.70467, -115.44221) Tex Wash Bridges

Last week a flash flood washed out the eastbound Tex Wash Bridge (56 0576L/R), which is one of two 3-span concrete slab bridges that carry I-10 across a desert wash near Desert Center, California. These bridges were built in 1967. Traffic was quickly diverted to the westbound bridge with one lane in each direction. A new eastbound bridge will be completed in September.

The one irritating thing about this story was how the news media reported it. They all said that the bridge had an 'A' rating and so officials are investigating why it collapsed. The news likes to make every natural disaster sound like negligence on the part of engineers. Bridges are designed for the 100 year flood, which was obviously exceeded by this event.

Solano County, California Bridges: Monte Vista Avenue Bridge across Ulatis Creek

January 2014 (38.35889 Degrees, -121.98778 Degrees) Monte Vista Avenue Bridge

We continued driving south on Pleasants Valley Road, crossing over several purely utilitarian bridges. We eventually arrived in Vacaville and turned east onto Monte Vista Avenue to visit Andrews Park. There are a variety of interesting bridges that cross Ulatis Creek, which winds through the park.

The Monte Vista Avenue Bridge (23C0046) turned out to be something of a disappointment. It appears to be an attractive three span haunched T girder bridge. It wasn't until I got closer that I realized that it was a very plain slab bridge with a facade added later to make it appear like a haunched girder bridge.

This bridge is a three span continuous concrete slab on pier walls that goes over Ulatis Creek. It was built in 1962 and 'improved' in 2008. It's 92 ft long with three 30 ft long spans and it's over 62 ft wide with four traffic lanes and sidewalks.

The bridge was built and owned by the city of Vacaville which was sufficiently proud of it to put a plaque in the ground at the end of the wing wall (shown above and below) that includes the names of everyone associate with building this bridge including the city attorney. 

We'll look at more of the bridges in Andrews Park tomorrow.

Solano County, California Bridges: Monte Vista Avenue Bridge across Ulatis Creek by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Calaveras County, California Bridges; Dogtown Road Bridge across Indian Creek

June 2013 (38.1500 Degrees, -120.5469 Degrees) Dogtown Road Bridge

Today's Bridge (51C0050) is very similar to yesterday's bridge. They are both called Dogtown Road Bridge and they are both over Indian Creek.  They are both about 28 ft long and 20 ft wide.  Both bridges were built in 1930; probably designed by the same engineer and built by the same contractor. However, today's bridge is on a bigger skew (42 degrees) and its wingwalls are parallel to the deck and barrier.

Calaveras County, California Bridges; Dogtown Road Bridge across Indian Creek by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

Calaveras County, California Bridges; Dogtown Road Bridge across Indian Creek

June 2013 (38.14583 Degrees, -120.56889 Degrees) Dogtown Road Bridge

I tried several times to drive to some old steel girder bridges off of Ponderosa Way, but no matter which direction I started, I always ended up in front of a locked gate. It seems as though much of the land around Ponderosa Way in Calaveras, Amador, and the other counties on the west side of the Sierras have all become private property.

The last bridges I photographed in Calaveras County were all along Dogtown Road, and a little east of the camelback truss bridge we studied yesterday.

The Dogtown Road Bridge across Indian Creek (30C0051) is a two span continuous concrete slab bridge that was built in 1930. Note that one end of the pier wall is flat and the other end is pointed like a cutwater. The pointy end must be upstream side of the bridge.

The bridge has two 13 ft long spans and two 1.5 ft deep abutments for a total length of 29 ft. The bridge is only 19 ft wide from edge of deck to edge of deck and it's on a 34 degree skew.

I've noticed on many old slab bridges they would cast the barrier along with the bridge deck. Then when they wanted to provide a safety rail, they just bolted it onto the concrete barrier.

Calaveras County, California Bridges; Dogtown Road Bridge across Indian Creek by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

Calaveras County, California Bridges; Sheep Ranch Road Bridge across Indian Creek

May 2013 (38.18694 Degrees, -120.44583 Degrees) Sheep Ranch Road Bridge

Continuing north on Sheep Ranch Road we drove across this handsome, single span slab bridge with a curved guard rail and tall approaches supported by retaining walls. The Sheep Ranch Road Bridge (30C0030) across Indian Creek is 30 ft long, 28 ft wide, and on a 20 degree skew. The bridge was built in 1989 and rated 'good' during its 2010 inspection. It carries about 200 vehicles a day and it has a sufficiency rating of 99.6.

Calaveras County, California Bridges; Sheep Ranch Road Bridge across Indian Creek by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

Calaveras County, California Bridges; Parrots Ferry Road Bridge across Coyote Creek

May 2013 (38.09500 Degrees, -120.47000 Degrees) Parrots Ferry Road Bridge

Just north of yesterday's bridge is a 112 ft long, four span slab bridge on pile extensions that was built in 1981 over Coyote Creek. The Parrots Ferry Road Bridge (30C0070) is a 32.5 ft wide bridge on a 45 degree skew. The bridge carries about 1400 vehicles a day and the deck is rated poor for some reason.

Calaveras County, California Bridges; Parrots Ferry Road Bridge across Coyote Creek by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

Calaveras County, California Bridges: Pool Station Road across San Domingo Creek

April 2013 (38.13778 Degrees, -120.66278 Degrees) Pool Station Bridge

Continuing south on Pool Station Road we came to the bridge over San Domingo Creek. Like yesterday's bridge, San Domingo is a three span slab bridge on pier walls. However, San Domingo Creek is much deeper and more like a river. It is a 120 ft long three span bridge on a 15 degree skew that was built in 2005.

It's interesting that all these nice new bridges only carry a couple of hundred vehicles a day.

Calaveras County, California Bridges: Pool Station Road across San Domingo Creek by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

Calaveras County, California Bridges: Pool Station Road Bridge across San Antonio Creek

April 2013 (38.14278 Degrees, -120.66194 Degrees) Pool Station Road Bridge

Continuing south on Pool Station Road we crossed several creeks within a few miles of each other.

The San Antonio Creek Bridge is a three span slab bridge on wide pier walls and seat-type abutments. It's 118 ft long, 32 ft wide, on a 15 degree skew, and it was built in 2006.

Its interesting that all these bridges on Pool Road were built in the last few years. Perhaps Pool Road was recently upgraded (or recently built) by the county?

Note all the flood protection around the abutments. Its hard to believe that this little creek could become such a raging torrent!

Calaveras County, California Bridges: Pool Station Road Bridge across San Antonio Creek by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

El Dorado County, California Bridges: Newtown Road Bridge across Weber Creek

February 2013 (38.7148 Degrees, -120.71397 Degrees) Newtown Road Bridge

The next bridge (which is also the first bridge that crosses Weber Creek) is a 30 ft long concrete slab built in 1929 that carries Newtown Road just west of the Weber Creek Reservoir. Like the previous bridge it has nice use of formwork for the slight haunch at the abutment walls and for the recessed panels on the barrier rails.

El Dorado County, California Bridges: Newtown Road Bridges across Weber Creek by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

El Dorado County, California Bridges: Cedar Ravine Rd Bridge across Weber Creek

February 2013 (38.7076 Degrees, -120.7635 Degrees) Cedar Ravine Bridge

The next bridge continuing upstream on Weber Creek was so small that we almost drove past it, but it's another example of the care taken in building these early 20th century reinforced concrete bridges. The formwork was carefully made to provide a cap, a curb, and other details on the massive barriers. The slab is nicely framed into the abutments. The engineer and contractor were so proud of their work that they embedded a plaque in the wall with their names (Henry Lahiff and H. Williamson). The lesson is that no job is too small that it can't benefit from special attention.

El Dorado County, California Bridges: Cedar Ravine Rd Bridge across Weber Creek by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

New Zealand's Bridges: Gayhurst Road Bridge across the Avon River in Christchurch

March 2011 (-43.522 Degrees, 172.673 Degrees) Gayhurst Road Bridge

Continuing downstream past another bow in the river, the Avon is now wide enough to be crossed by a three span slab bridge on pier walls (built in 1954). We are east of the CBD, east of those 19th century ornamented bridges, and into an area of soil that was highly liquefied by the February earthquake. The piers on the Gayhurst Road Bridge have horizontal cracks due to intense shaking and lateral spreading. However, these cracks were not considered serious enough to stop traffic across the bridge (once the approaches were re-graded).

New Zealand's Bridges: Gayhurst Road Bridge across the Avon River in Christchurch by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Mexico's Bridges: Puente cerca de La Lima (2)

A closer view of one of the piers supporting Puente cerca de La Lima. I like the trapezoidal shape, the color of the stones, and the thick bentcap and slab. The sides of the pier seem the right shape to deflect fast-moving water and flood debris.

There is something very human and almost comforting about this bridge. The pier looks like it was shaped by a human hand. It reminds me of the Roman aqueducts that I sometimes come upon in Europe and the Middle East.. It has the same timeless quality.

Was this bridge built ten years or a hundred years ago?

Mexico's Bridges: Puente cerca de La Lima (2) by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Mexico's Bridges: Puente cerca de La Lima (1)

The Street of Roses (Calle de la Rosas) turns into a county road north of Manzanillo. Driving along this road towards La Lima I came across an eight span slab bridge.


I thought that this was an attractive little bridge. Although many of the posts were broken, I liked the handmade stone masonry piers sitting between green river banks.

Mexico's Bridges: Puente cerca de La Lima by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

Mexico's Bridges: Puente de la Ciudad de Coquimatlan (4)

A last look at the little slab bridge built by the City of Coquimatlan. What's most noticeable in this photo is how high the bridge is above the existing roadway. Perhaps the bridge was built so the soffit would be above the hundred year flood. This idea is borne out by the wingwalls on the upstream side of river that protect the roadway from being washed out during floods. It looks like the riverbed was raised along the downstream side of the bridge to allow vehicles to ford the river during construction.

A special concrete crossing that allows people to ford a river (with wet wheels) may have been originally built at this site. We will look at several of these types of crossings when we study the bridges of India.

Mexico's Bridges: Puente de la Ciudad de Coquimatlan (4)  by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

Mexico's Bridges: Puente de la Ciudad de Coquimatlan (3)

Another view of the Puente de la Ciudad de Coquimatlan. The abutments were built in the river due to the short span length of the slab superstructure.

My feeling is that there is no fixity at the ends of the span. Considerable reinforcement would have to be developed from the slab into the abutment to carry moments at the span ends. This would have allowed a longer span and the abutments could have been built on land.

A coffer dam was placed to dewater the area where the abutments were built. Note that the slab is slightly raised over the abutment to allow room for the falsework and forms to support the reinforcement and wet concrete.

Slab bridges make inefficient use of concrete but provide a good riding surface.

Mexico's Bridges: Puente de la Ciudad de Coquimatlan (3) by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

Mexico's Bridges: Puente de la Ciudad de Coquimatlan (2)

Another view of a bridge across a branch of Rio Armeria near Coquimatlan in Colima, Mexico. It's the opposite of many of the bridges shown by the Happy Pontist, which are often state-of-the-art structures.

Should bridge aesthetics be the art of designing the cheapest bridge that fulfills its function? When we remove all the unneeded expense, is this the type of structure that emerges?

Mexico's Bridges: Puente de la Ciudad de Coquimatlan (2) by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

Mexico's Bridges: Puente de la Ciudad de Coquimatlan (1)

Near the City of Coquimatlan I came upon a bridge being built. There was a sign at the site that said, 'Excuse the annoyance. Coquimatlan City Hall is building this bridge with funds from SEDESOL (the Social Programs Ministry) and the municipality with a $284,518 investment.'

The apology was warranted because drivers had to go around the bridge and ford the river. The cost (in Mexican Pesos) is surprisingly cheap, about $22,000 US which is about $25 US per square foot of deck!

The Puente de la Ciudad de Coquimatlan is a single span reinforced concrete slab bridge on stone masonry abutments. There are several interesting aspects to this simple bridge. There are no bearings, just a cold joint between the slab and the abutments. Rubble was placed at the embankments behind the abutments rather than well-compacted backfill. The stones for the abutments look like they were placed by hand (there are no obvious signs that the stones and concrete were poured into forms). Note the plastic tubing that goes through the deck. Perhaps those are for the optical and electrical cables the bridge will carry.

Mexico's Bridges: Puente de la Ciudad de Coquimatlan (1) by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.