KS Engineers, P.C. (KSE) provided comprehensive engineering services for the replacement of the White Horse Road Bridge over the Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO) rail line in Camden County, New Jersey. KSE’s responsibilities encompassed every phase of project development, from emergency structural evaluation and repair through final bridge replacement design and construction support. Services included survey, traffic engineering and vehicular/pedestrian traffic counts, geotechnical investigations, foundation engineering, hydraulic and environmental permitting, NJDEP stream encroachment and wetlands permitting, right-of-way acquisition support, bridge and roadway design, utility coordination, Maintenance and Protection of Traffic (MPT) planning, construction engineering services, and post-design support. KSE also utilized Synchro Highway Capacity Software to validate traffic operations and optimize the project’s maintenance of traffic strategy throughout construction.
The project originated following the discovery of localized structural deterioration that resulted in the partial failure of several bridge beams. KSE immediately performed an emergency structural inspection and determined that the bridge posed a significant safety concern, recommending its immediate closure to all vehicular traffic until repairs could be completed. Recognizing the importance of restoring this critical transportation link, which carries approximately 24,000 vehicles daily, KSE rapidly designed an emergency repair program that included a specialized beam-jacking system and structural steel rehabilitation details. Due to the extensive deterioration identified during the investigation, repairs were expanded to include all beam ends using field-bolted structural steel angles and plates designed to restore the bridge’s full structural capacity. Working collaboratively with Camden County, PATCO, NJ Transit, local law enforcement, utility companies, and the construction contractor, KSE provided construction inspection and engineering support that enabled the bridge to safely reopen approximately three months after its closure.
Building upon the successful emergency repairs, KSE advanced the permanent replacement design for the aging bridge, originally constructed in 1970. The replacement structure consists of a modern single-span steel plate girder bridge supported by reinforced concrete full-height abutments founded on driven steel H-piles, eliminating intermediate supports over the active PATCO rail corridor. Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) retaining walls support the reconstructed approach roadways, while adjacent intersections were redesigned to improve traffic operations and safety. The project also required extensive coordination for the relocation of railroad electrification infrastructure, gas utilities, and other underground facilities, as well as acquisition of multiple right-of-way parcels to accommodate the widened bridge footprint. Throughout the assignment, KSE coordinated closely with Camden County, PATCO, utility owners, regulatory agencies, and County legal representatives to successfully navigate the project’s complex technical, operational, and stakeholder requirements.
The project’s innovative engineering solutions, exceptional emergency response, and successful delivery of a modern, resilient transportation structure were recognized with the American Council of Engineering Companies of New Jersey (ACEC NJ) Award for Engineering Excellence.
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