GENERAL CONTRACTORS

886 McKinley Ave.

Columbus, Ohio 43222
Phone: 614.228.1029 Fax: 614.228.7065

February 5, 2015
Contact:
John Householder
Assistant Vice President
jdh@kokosing.biz
(614) 228-1029

RELEASE to CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

Re: Hopple St. Ramp Bridge Demolition Plan
The demolition plan submitted to the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) on
Dec. 19, 2014 outlined how the concrete deck and steel beams were going to be
removed from the Hopple St. Ramp Bridge. It outlined what equipment would be used,
what sequence the demolition would follow, and where equipment would be positioned
during various operations.
This plan was developed and stamped by one professional engineer and checked and
stamped by a second professional engineer.
The plan was revised and re-submitted to ODOT on Jan. 16, 2015. This revision was
focused on the removal of the steel beams, after the concrete deck would have been
removed. On Jan. 19, the concrete deck was being removed. No beams or bracing had
yet been removed or sawed.
There was a base method and an alternative method for concrete deck removal in the
plan. The base method called for sawing the deck into large concrete slabs, with an
excavator sitting on the deck. The excavator would remove the slabs from the structure,
then pass the removed slabs to a loader, also sitting on the deck. The base plan called
for the loader to then haul the removed slabs off the west end of the bridge. Each
concrete slab can weigh as much as 15,000 pounds.
The demolition plan outlined and calculated an alternative approach (see note 12 on the
plan). The alternative approach, used on the night of Jan. 19, called for a hoe and
Genesis demolition tool to sit on the bridge deck to chew up the concrete, instead of
removing it in slabs. After the concrete is crunched, it falls to the ground below. A
loader on the ground scoops up the debris later.
The base approach amounted to 136,150 pounds of weight (equipment and total
construction load) on the bridge at any one time. The alternative approach had a
combined equipment and load weight of 110,800 pounds. The alternative approach

GENERAL CONTRACTORS

886 McKinley Ave.

Columbus, Ohio 43222
Phone: 614.228.1029 Fax: 614.228.7065

weighed 25,000 pounds (equipment and total construction load) less than the base
approach.
Due to winter weather, we selected the alternative approach outlined in note 12 of the
demolition plan.
The demolition plan called for removing all the concrete deck prior to the removal of any
steel beams or bracing. The concrete deck removal was to start at the east
abutment. The planned deck removal sequence was not specifically identified in the
written demolition plan. However, the demolition plan was prepared based on the
planned sequencestarting at the east abutmentand was analyzed to verify the
structural adequacy of the existing steel beams and found to be within allowable stress
ranges.
The steel beam removal sequence was specified in the written demolition plan,
identified as Span 2 Sequence A, Span 1 Sequence B, and Span 3 Sequence
C. The beams at span 2 (the middle) were to be removed first, followed by the beams
at span 1 (the east side of the bridge), and then the steel beams at span 3 (the west
side of the bridge).
The demolition proceeded in accordance with the plan sequence, starting with the
removal of the concrete deck from the east abutment, with steel beams and bracing
remaining in place.
The concrete deck removal began the night of Jan. 18. Demolition was stopped due to
beams lifting at the abutment during demolition. This is not uncommon, but the crew did
not want to proceed until checking with the professional engineer.
On Jan. 19 the demolition plan was reviewed by the professional engineer and an
adjustment was made to address the beam uplift issue that had occurred the previous
night. The jobsite crew received the plan in the morning and implemented it Monday
afternoon. They installed anchors to tie the girders down to the abutment.
We are cooperating closely with investigators from the Ohio Department of
Transportation, Occupational Safety and Health Administration and our own
independent experts to determine the cause of this tragic incident.