SEI-IL September Dinner Meeting: Design and Construction of the O'Hare Airport ATS Guideway Structure

Presented by: Michael Lenett, P.E., PhD Assistant Vice President, TranSystems

Abstract:

The Joint Use/Consolidated Rental Car (CONRAC) Facility currently being built by the Chicago Department of Aviation at O’Hare International Airport will redirect numerous activities from the airport central terminal and significantly reduce rental car, regional and shuttle bus traffic on the terminal roadway. In order to access the new facility, the airport’s existing automated train system (ATS) is extended approximately 1829’ northward and terminates within the proposed CONRAC station. The design and construction of the new ATS Guideway structure that supports the ATS extension is the focus of this presentation.

The ATS Guideway structure is comprised of 28 spans with lengths varying from 43.5’ to 157.5’. The spans, substructure layout and superstructure framing accommodate the reverse horizontal curvature and tangent alignments of Inbound and Outbound Guideways, Illinois DOT right-of-way limits including the IDOT-managed Mannheim Road, a waterline easement, the new CONRAC station building and the bus and pedestrian routes that lead to and from the station. The presenter will discuss various elements that guide the layout and design of the Guideway structure including Guideway geometry, design codes such as the ASCE Automated People Mover Standards, the different design loads and load combinations, serviceability concerns such as deflections and coordination with architectural and structural aspects of the new CONRAC station.

Speakers’ Bio:

Mike is currently the Bridge Design Team Leader for TranSystems in Ohio and is an Assistant Vice President with the company. He has 28 years of experience in the evaluation, design and rehabilitation of various bridge structures and has been with TranSystems for 14 years.