Jeremy Ranch bridge replacement to use ‘slide-in’ construction, minimizing traffic disruptions

Construction begins on new Jeremy Ranch bridge. Photo: TownLit // Rebecca Brenner

PARK CITY, Utah — Replacing a bridge usually means months of road closures and lengthy detours. Not this time.

The Utah Department of Transportation plans to replace the Jeremy Ranch bridges using a technique known as Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC), a method that allows crews to build new bridges next to the existing structures before sliding them into place once the old bridges are removed.

The approach dramatically reduces the amount of time traffic is affected compared with traditional bridge replacement projects. Construction is expected to continue through the end of 2027.

“Here’s how you replace a bridge without closing the road for months,” UDOT said in a social media post explaining the construction method. “You build the new bridge next to the old one. Then you tear out the old bridge. Slide the new one into place.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) (@utahtransportation)

The engineering technique has become increasingly common across Utah because it significantly reduces impacts to motorists while improving worker safety and shortening overall construction schedules.

In 2023, UDOT used the same ABC method on a bridge over I-80 in Salt Lake. The bridged weighed about 5.3 million pounds and had to be moved 110 feet, which was one of the longest bridge slides performed in Utah at the time. To accomplish the feat, crews placed the bridge on slide shoes (steel beams) with low-friction pads underneath them, then squeezed Dawn dish soap on the pads to reduce friction and make them slippery. The bridge was then slid into place using hydraulic jacks.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) (@utahtransportation)

The Jeremy Ranch bridge replacement is part of UDOT’s broader effort to preserve aging infrastructure along the I-80 corridor through Summit County. In addition to replacing the bridges, the project includes roadway improvements intended to extend the life of one of the Wasatch Back’s busiest transportation corridors.