Tools and equipment such as concrete saws also are required to be tethered and secured to prevent dropping into the waterway below.

Construction is under way to update and preserve the Starvation Reservoir bridge on U.S. 40 in Duchesne County. Improvements to the bridge require renovations to the bridge barrier walls ("parapet walls") and resurfacing the concrete bridge deck to extend the life of the roadway.

As with all UDOT projects, the top priority is safety for the traveling public, onsite workers and the surrounding environment. Because most of the project includes work being done directly over Starvation Reservoir waters, significant steps have been taken to protect and preserve the environment in the area, including an innovative plan to capture all demolition debris to keep it from falling into the reservoir.

Because of the unique characteristics of the work zone, Dry Creek Structures, the contractor of this project, designed special container buckets to capture demolition debris. The 16-ft. catch bucket is attached to the end of an excavator and is lowered onto the backside of the parapet. The bucket is outfitted with rubber bumpers to provide a secure seal to the wall and to protect against damage to the existing infrastructure. The bottom of the bucket extends to fit under the bridge deck to ensure that the debris is captured. The pan located on the bottom of the bucket is watertight and provides connections to a vacuum port, which allows the captured water and slurry materials to be pumped out of the bucket and into a vacuum trailer, without any of it leaking into the waterway below. All demolished materials are transported offsite to be recycled or disposed of in the landfill. Duchesne County is recycling the demolished concrete for use as road base throughout the county.

In addition to capturing construction debris, other procedures are in place to provide safety to the workers and the surrounding area. Crews working near or around the edge of the bridge are required to be in a harness and tethered to the bridge to prevent falling. Tools and equipment such as concrete saws are also required to be tethered and secured to prevent dropping into the waterway below. Warning signs and messages are placed throughout the work zone to remind drivers and area visitors about the construction activity and to avoid stopping at or near the bridge. In case of unforeseen emergencies, a water rescue plan is in place that includes life-preserving flotation devices and a rescue boat. The implementation of these procedures is critical to ensuring that the environment is protected, and the Starvation Bridge is successfully updated.

This project is anticipated to complete in the late fall of 2021. For more information, visit the project website, udot.utah.gov/go/us40starvationbridge.

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