This project consisted of a feasibility study, engineering design, and preparation of construction documents for a new overpass for Phoenix Avenue over the Union Pacific Railroad on the west side of the City of Russellville.
The overpass replaced an existing at-grade railroad crossing that hindered access to the local hospital, St. Mary&rsquo;s Regional Medical Center. Design elements included a three-lane travel-way, bike lanes, sidewalks, roadway lighting, and decorative bridge features. The project featured hybrid steel plate girders, over 33,000 square feet of mechanically stabilized earth retaining walls, and decorative steel Zephyr train locomotive railings. The $5 million project was completed in June 2014.

Learn about Crafton Tull's work on Phoenix Avenue Overpass.

Crafton Tull | Phoenix Avenue Overpass

[X] Phoenix Avenue Overpass

Education

Awards

P.E.

Learn more about Chuck Wipf and his role and experience at Crafton Tull.

Crafton Tull | Chuck Wipf

Chuck Wipf, P.E., is a Vice President in Crafton Tull's Transportation Division, where he supervises project engineers, engineer interns, and CAD technicians on a wide variety of bridge projects for DOTs, Counties, and Cities. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Institute of Steel Construction, and the National Steel Bridge Alliance.
Chuck has over 24 years of experience and brings expertise in bridge design, hydrology and hydraulics, project management, and quality control of bridge plans. Chuck was the Northwest Arkansas Branch American Society of Civil Engineers president in 2014 and was part of the American Council of Engineering Companies Arkansas 2012-2013 class of Emerging Leaders. He is proud to be on the team that won the 2024 ACEC Arkansas Engineering Excellence Grand Conceptor Award for the BB0903 SPUI Bridge.

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)&nbsp;<a href="https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/cat-item/bridges/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2017 Infrastructure Report Card</a>, 188 million trips are taken every day across structurally deficient bridges. For many cities and counties, the desire to repair their bridges is tempered by the reality of the high cost to do so. Because the funding does not meet the need for rehabilitation, those in charge are turning to alternative methods to replace these potentially hazardous bridges with safe, sound infrastructure. One example is the use of buried bridges. A buried bridge is simply a prefabricated structure, typically of steel or concrete that spans a stream or a transportation corridor and is backfilled with earth or other material.&nbsp; The structures are typically arched or three-sided and do not have a floor to them. For grade separations, they are used to span roadways, railroads, or trails. Buried bridge technology can be an effective alternative to span bridges or large box culverts. &nbsp;However, there are several factors to consider before deciding to use a buried bridge for your project.

<h2>Type of technology</h2>
There are a number of different kinds of structures to consider when it comes to buried bridges.&nbsp; These can include structural plate bridges, large diameter steel culverts, and precast concrete arches. Each structure type has unique properties that will determine if it is right for your project parameters.
<img src="https://api.www.craftontull.com/media/uploads/insights/buried_bridges/buried_bridge_pre_fab_crafton_tull_kansas.webp" alt="Buried bridge" width="800" height="600" />

<h2>Design, geometry, and hydraulics</h2>
Buried bridge technologies can be a cost-effective alternative, but there are some limitations to their design.&nbsp; Much of the benefit of buried bridge products is the &ldquo;off the shelf&rdquo; design aspect.&nbsp; This feature reduces the design time and complexity of construction, but those benefits come with a trade-off with respect to flexibility.&nbsp; A traditional bridge is custom designed for the specific needs of a project.&nbsp; However, with buried bridges, it is more about finding the best fit from a standard set of sizes and shapes, which have been pre-engineered with specific geometric and hydraulic properties.&nbsp; If there is a good fit for the site conditions, it is a great alternative.&nbsp; Conversely, if soil conditions or site geometry are not conducive to using one of the predetermined options, then customization can prove costly and sometimes outweigh some of the benefits of using the buried bridge technology.&nbsp; The variety of options with buried bridge technologies continues to expand allowing more flexibility in design.
For stream crossings, typical hydraulic engineering analysis will be required to determine the appropriate height and span of the structure needed, as well as the design of the hydraulic opening itself. If debris is common at the site, the hydraulic analysis should account for clogging. Consideration must be given for flood stage hydraulic forces on the structure and channel floor. A scour analysis must be performed at every stream crossing. Riprap is commonly used to protect the buried bridge foundations and must be adequately sized to function properly.
For grade separations, the engineer must determine the needed clear roadway width and the clear height for trucks or railcars.&nbsp; For either stream crossings or grade separations, structural design is required for the footing, stem walls, and retaining walls. Adequate cover is crucial to the buried bridge design. Cover requirements should be considered during preliminary design.

<h2>Construction and maintenance</h2>
Construction costs and maintenance are both critical factors to consider when choosing whether to use buried bridge technologies.&nbsp; Although traditional span bridges are individually designed and configured to the project specific parameters, buried bridges offer simplicity of construction that is hard to match with a conventional bridge.&nbsp; If time is a critical factor with the project, it behooves a designer to consider buried bridge technology as an alternative.&nbsp; The nature of these technologies can allow for shorter construction shutdowns and field curing times for concrete.&nbsp; Furthermore, the absence of a bridge deck often means that the bridge can be opened to traffic more quickly after construction.
In addition, the lack of complexity and exposed structural surfaces can sometimes mean that long-term maintenance and inspection costs will be lower than those associated with span bridges.&nbsp; However, buried bridges are not maintenance free. For example, if debris is common at the site, the owner may have to routinely clear trees and repair the channel.

<h2>Aesthetics</h2>
<img src="https://api.www.craftontull.com/media/uploads/insights/buried_bridges/buried_bridge_chickasha.webp" alt="Buried bridge with natural stone" width="800" height="531" />
As communities strive to create a sense of place, the aesthetics of bridge design have become increasingly important.&nbsp; Both traditional span bridges and buried bridge technologies have widely varied options for changing the looks of a bridge. This is more limited for large reinforced concrete box bridges.&nbsp; Buried bridges and retaining walls especially have a wide variety of options for exterior materials and colors, though it is essential to weigh the aesthetic advantages against any structural or hydraulic limitations before deciding on a technology for your project.
As with any engineering problem, choosing the right bridge technology is about finding the proper method to fit the situation.&nbsp; This is best accomplished when the designer is knowledgeable about all the technologies and options available.&nbsp; Although not right for every project, when carefully considered, buried bridges can be a viable and cost-effective option.

Buried bridge technology can be an effective alternative to span bridges or large box culverts.

Chuck's Work

Learn about Crafton Tull's work on Highway 71B SPUI at I-49.

Crafton Tull | Highway 71B SPUI at I-49

LEED AP

Learn more about Gregg Long and his role and experience at Crafton Tull.

Crafton Tull | Gregg Long

Gregg is a Vice President of Infrastructure and manages the Russellville office for Crafton Tull. He is an Accredited Professional in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Gregg&rsquo;s areas of expertise include large-scale commercial site design, recreational trails, sidewalk, street, and drainage projects, as well as higher education campus infrastructure design.&nbsp;

Like many other components of our national infrastructure, streets and roads do not get much attention until there is a problem. Funding limitations often force counties, municipalities, and university campuses to put off routine maintenance of asphalt surfaces until such problems exist to the point that major reconstruction of a road, street, or parking lot is necessary. Research has shown that it is far less expensive to keep a road in good condition than it is to repair it once it has failed. In addition to the cost of major repairs, pavement in poor condition causes increased fuel use, vehicle wear and tear, and is detrimental to safe travel. One of the most underutilized tools in identifying developing problems and prioritizing maintenance schedules to extend the life of pavement surfaces is the implementation of a Pavement Management System.
&nbsp;
A Pavement Management System consists of three major components:
<div class="row customLists">
<ol>
<li>A system to regularly collect pavement condition data.</li>
<li>A method to sort and store the collected data.</li>
<li>An analysis to evaluate repair or preservation strategies and suggest cost-effective projects to maintain street conditions.</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
</div>
Larger cities may have the budget to dedicate full-time staff and use commercial software to manage their municipal pavement system.&nbsp; These systems facilitate the collection of Pavement Condition Assessment ratings, assist in prioritizing and tracking maintenance and repairs, track expenditures, and assist with annual budgeting.
Pavement condition data collection methods range from simple &ldquo;windshield surveys&rdquo; to the use of elaborate testing vehicles that measure smoothness, skid resistance, faulting, and cracking in the road surface. From this assessment, pavements are typically given a rating or grade that is used to rank order the condition of streets.
For smaller municipalities with limited budgets, city staff can conduct Pavement Condition Assessments (PCA) of existing streets.&nbsp; A &nbsp;PCA can be conducted in a low-cost manner to evaluate the existing condition of pavement surfaces without the use of expensive testing equipment that is not readily available to smaller municipalities. Such rating systems allow engineers, public works directors, street department superintendents, and physical plant directors to assess the current conditions of the pavement surfaces and address potential issues before they become major failures. The system can also be used to prioritize surface rehabilitation efforts for a city, county, or campus.
The process is quite simple and can be performed in-house or through the services of an outside engineering firm. The complexity of the project depends on the size of the municipality and the number of miles of streets to be evaluated.
Under a typical system, an inspector begins by preparing a map of the streets to be evaluated so that progress can be tracked. The inspector then slowly drives each section of street to produce an overall rating of the ride quality (smoothness) of the road on a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 being an excellent, smooth surface and 10 being the worst.&nbsp; Then, to get a closer look, the inspector walks each section, taking notes of the various types of failures and distress of the pavement, giving a numerical value for each distress or failure noted. Since most streets in Arkansas and Oklahoma are constructed with asphalt (vs. concrete), following are some of the typical asphalt distresses seen in local pavements:

Transverse Cracking&nbsp;&ndash; Cracks that occur roughly perpendicular to the centerline, usually a result of surface shrinking of the asphalt layer or reflection of existing cracks in underlying asphalt layers.
Longitudinal Cracking&nbsp;&nbsp;- Cracks that run parallel to the centerline and are usually a result of poor joint construction, or surface shrinking similar to transverse cracks.
Shrinkage Cracking&nbsp;&ndash; Cracks that appear on the pavement surface as interconnected cracks, forming a series of polygons. Much like transverse and longitudinal cracking, these cracks can be a result of surface shrinking caused by weather cycles, or heaving in the aggregate base or subgrade.
Alligator Cracking&nbsp;&ndash; These are interconnected cracks that form a series of small polygons that resemble the skin of an alligator. These cracks are typically signs of failure in the aggregate base or subgrade caused by poor drainage combined with heavy traffic load.
Raveling&nbsp;&ndash; The deterioration of pavement by the loss of asphalt and rock. Such deterioration can be a result of poor compaction at the time of construction, aggregate separation due to a poor mix from the asphalt plant, or the dislodging of aggregate materials in high-traffic areas.
Rutting&nbsp;&ndash; The permanent deformation of asphalt surfaces over time, usually shown by the depression of the wheel paths in the roadway. This failure is typically the result of poor compaction during construction, improper mix design for given traffic conditions, or failures in the subgrade or aggregate base course.
Potholes&nbsp;&ndash; A depression in the asphalt surface that is the result of the removal of broken pieces of pavement. They are formed as a result of expansion and contraction during freeze-thaw weather and water cycles combined with the amount of traffic load on the pavement. A pothole is typically the end result of other failures mentioned above that have not been corrected.
Other distress symptoms include corrugation, shoving or pushing, and excessive asphalt.
Once all of the evident distresses are noted and a numerical value assigned, the totals are added and the sum is subtracted from 100 to give a Pavement Condition Rating (PCR). For example, if a particular &frac12; mile of street was noted to have 6 or 8 transverse cracks, some longitudinal cracking, moderate shrinkage cracking, and two areas of alligator cracking, then the total deficiency value would likely be in the 20 to 25 point range. Subtracting this total from 100 produces a PCR of 75 to 80. A rating in this range typically means that the lifespan of the asphalt surface could be extended by sealing the cracks and applying an emulsified asphalt seal coat, or microsurfacing course.
Roads with PCRs of 60 to 75 may require more extensive repairs such as full depth patching and overlays, while roads with ratings below 60 typically require reconstruction. Obviously, a road or street with a rating of 90 to 100 is considered in good shape and little or no immediate attention is needed.
Once each street in the study has been rated, the results can then be tabulated and prioritized to develop a maintenance schedule based upon the street maintenance budget. A prioritization factor can also be assigned to some streets that should have a higher priority such as those that serve as main gateways to a city or campus that are more utilized than other streets.
In conclusion, a good Pavement Management System is a valuable tool that can help municipalities or campuses maintain and extend the life of their pavement. Systematically identifying minor problems before they become more serious can decrease the frequency of costly pavement reconstruction projects.

Pavement Condition Assessments can be conducted in a low-cost manner to evaluate existing conditions with the use of expensive testing equipment.

Gregg's Work

P.E., LEED AP

Learn more about Matt Crafton and his role and experience at Crafton Tull.

Crafton Tull | Matt Crafton

Matt Crafton is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Crafton Tull.&nbsp; After graduating from the United States Air Force Academy, Matt started his career as a civil engineer in the U.S. Air Force, where he managed the design and construction of many projects for Air Force missions around the world, serving in both Operation DESERT STORM and Operation RESTORE HOPE (Somalia).&nbsp;
In 1998, he transitioned to the Air Force Reserve and came to the company his father, Bob Crafton, co-founded. In his early years with Crafton Tull, Matt managed several large highway design projects and rose to the position of Chief Operating Officer before the Crafton Tull Board of Directors appointed him to the position of CEO in 2009. Today Matt oversees the operations of Crafton Tull&rsquo;s nine offices and provides quality control on a variety of engineering projects.
He holds Professional Engineer licenses in seven states, is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional, the past president of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Arkansas, past chapter president of the Arkansas Society of Professional Engineers, and past chairman of the Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce. He is a deacon at First Baptist Church of Rogers, serves on several local nonprofit boards, and retired from the Air Force Reserve at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He and his wife, Kristi, have four children.

One of my interests outside of work is coaching my son&rsquo;s travel baseball team. He and his teammates are passionate about the sport, so the other coaches and I really enjoy the time helping the boys improve their skills and learn the game. We try to keep the actual travel to a reasonable amount, but we do get to see different ballparks in our region.&nbsp; It has been interesting to see communities make investments that replace ordinary ballparks with attractions that draw visitors from outside of their town. From firsthand experience, the quality of the park itself is a leading factor when teams consider where to play tournaments.

In September of 2017, a Time Magazine cover article quoted statistics from WinterGreen Research, a private firm tracking the economics of youth sports over a ten-year period. The report showed a 15 billion dollar market with a rate of growth averaging 7 percent per year. A different report published in 2013 by the National Center for Charitable Statistics estimated out of town tournaments accounted for 27 percent of family travel.
Both studies found the industry to be remarkably resistant to recession. In fact, revenue from sports tourism is a proven boon to the economies that host athletes and their families.
Brad Lacy, president of the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce in Arkansas, has seen the positive impact youth sports can have on a city&rsquo;s economy. &ldquo;In trying to be realistic and deliberate about our opportunities for economic development, youth sports became the mechanism through which we built a destination spot,&rdquo; he said. The City of Conway constructed a five-field softball park called City of Colleges Park in 2009 and a nine-field baseball park called Conway Station Park in 2011. Both of these parks are among the best of their kind in the central United States. Both are exceptionally maintained and feature covered bleachers, air-conditioned restroom and concession facilities, and fields built to appropriate dimensions for youth sports.
Large-scale tournaments pump money into a city&rsquo;s local economy through the hotel and restaurant industries, but also in less apparent sectors. For example, anyone who has traveled to an out of town tournament can attest to the amount of downtime involved. During their free time, families go to the movies, shop, or attend a local event. It is not uncommon to see groups decked out in uniforms and team colors around town throughout the year.
<img src="https://api.www.craftontull.com/media/uploads/insights/sports_parks_as_economic_drivers/sports_parks_economic_drivers_crafton_tull_arkansas.webp" alt="Tourism dollars" width="800" height="551" />

<h2>Factors to consider before a community should invest in a major sports park project</h2>
<div class="row customLists">
<ol>
<li>Before investing in a major park project, consider conducting an economic feasibility study to include conservative estimates for expected revenue and realistic cost estimates for construction and maintenance.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Next, be sure to hire qualified, experienced, licensed professionals to design and construct the park. Brad Lacy addressed the importance of this, saying &ldquo;We build for quality. From the facility&rsquo;s architecture, lighting, seating, etc. This leads to positive experiences and helps us stand out as a destination.&rdquo;</li>
<li>Once your park is constructed, dedicate a qualified staff and a sufficient budget to adequately maintain the park. Immaculately maintained parks improve the experience for the user and leave a lasting impression on visitors, which may lead to repeat tournaments.</li>
<li>Repeat bookings are essential to maximizing the return on your investment. Before allowing a third party to run tournaments at your park, be sure to have a written agreement with them that outlines all the terms of use and ensures they are a good representative of your city. When people feel welcome, safe, and fairly treated, they remember it.</li>
<li>Youth sports have become not only a source of enjoyment for families, but a significant economic benefit for some cities. If your city is considering such an investment, the steps outlined above provide a good starting point in the planning process. The next step is to evaluate the non-sports activities your community offers that cater to families.</li>
</ol>
</div>
&nbsp;

Youth sports have become not only a source of enjoyment for families, but a significant economic benefit for some cities.

Matt's Work

Learn about Crafton Tull's work on The Railyard Bike Park Renovations.

PROJECTS

Phoenix Avenue Overpass