The I-95 Penn’s Landing CAP Project
Organization: Pennoni
Project Name: I-95 Penn’s Landing CAP
Location: Philadelphia
Estimated Project Cost: USD 575 million
Bentley Software: OpenBridge, OpenRoads, PLAXIS, STAAD.Pro/RAM, ProjectWise
Project
The I-95 Penn’s Landing CAP project aims to heal the urban fabric of Philadelphia, where Interstate 95 has long separated the historic city center from its waterfront. The project involves constructing an 11.5-acre public park over a portion of I-95. This ambitious undertaking, part of a master plan for the Delaware River Waterfront, will improve multimodal access, promote economic development, and create a vibrant new green space for the community. Pennoni led a large team of 21 subconsultants to overcome significant challenges, including designing a complex bridge with irregular geometry and working with poor soil conditions.
Ā Facts
- Project area: 11.5 acres
- Project cost: USD 575 million
- Work hours saved: 45,000
- Reduction in design hours to verify clearances: 100%
- Reduction in civil/highway modeling hours: 50%
- Impervious surfaces converted to pervious: 62%
"The I-95 Cap project in Philadelphia represents far more than a traditional bridge or tunnel effort. It is the creation of an 11.5-acre civic park... Bentley Systems' advanced modeling and design software was critical to the project's success by enabling the team to visualize, coordinate, and execute this complex cap structure with precision, helping bring this iconic project to life."
Solution
Pennoni adopted a comprehensive model-based approach using a suite of Bentley applications. With Bentleyās OpenBridge Modeler, the team developed a complex and innovative bridge design with irregular geometry. For the geotechnical analysis, Bentleyās PLAXIS was used to model settlement and select the appropriate lightweight fill material. Bentleyās OpenRoads Designer modeled the existing highway and a large box culvert, resulting in 25% more accurate cost estimates. Bentleyās STAAD.Pro and RAM Structural System were used for structural analysis. Finally, Bentleyās ProjectWise was essential for managing files and collaboration among the 21 subconsultants.
Outcome
The use of Bentley’s integrated digital modeling software was critical to the project’s success, enabling the team to design and analyze a highly complex structure within a tight schedule and delivering significant measurable outcomes:
- Drastic reduction in design hours: The team achieved a 100% reduction in design hours needed to verify bridge clearances over I-95 and a 50% reduction in modeling hours for civil and highway design by using an integrated digital workflow.
- Significant time savings: The overall digital approach resulted in saving an estimated 45,000 work hours across the project.
- Positive environmental impact: The project will convert nearly 62% of the site’s impervious surfaces to pervious green space, creating a more sustainable community asset.
- Improved collaboration and quality: The integrated models facilitated seamless collaboration among 21 firms, minimized design errors, and allowed for the creation of an iconic new public space for the city.
Software
- OpenBridge: Used to model the complex, irregular geometry of the main park bridge structure.
- OpenRoads: Utilized for modeling existing highway infrastructure to improve quantity estimates and reduce risk.
- PLAXIS: Employed for geotechnical analysis of settlement in poor soil conditions.
- STAAD.Pro/RAM: Used for structural analysis of various park and bridge elements.
- ProjectWise: Served as the collaboration and data management platform for the large, multidisciplinary team.
Explore OpenBridge for coordinated bridge and tunnel monitoring āÆ
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