How to Crush Bridges into Roadways

Bridges and overpasses are weighty, even when broken in a thousand pieces. Even their pieces take up enormous room in a landfill, hastening the day when the landfill reaches capacity and must be replaced.

Is there a way to prevent thousands of tons of concrete and asphalt from being dumped into landfills, you might ask.

There is.

By crushing the concrete and asphalt (the steel rebar is recyclable) from the bridges and other I-405 project demolitions, these “recycling crusher” sites within the project boundaries generate “aggregate,” which will form the base of the new roadway laid by the project contractors. This will reduce traffic from trucks hauling that material offsite and bringing it back when it is needed.

Other crushers will pulverize rock from excavated hillsides adjoining the project.

Crushing the material onsite might save approximately 200,000 tons of demolition material from reaching local landfills. That equals the weight of 4,000 blue whales at birth or the weight of an empty crude oil supertanker.

Check here for more information on how AQMD rules govern the multiple project crushers.

These photographs were taken in December 2010 at the crusher site north of the Getty Trail Head and east of the I-405.

Asphalt and concrete have already been crushed into aggregate. Next the aggregate
heads to a high pile. Photograph Courtesy of Metro. © 2010 LACMTA

 

The crusher stacks aggregate in piles for later use. Crushers use a variety of tools
to reduce dust. This one uses misters and "bag houses" (which employ vacuums to
trap dust) to corral dust. Photograph Courtesy of Metro. © 2010 LACMTA

 

With Getty Center Dr in the background, a loader moves aggregate for easier access.
Crushing operations might save approximately 200,000 tons from reaching local landfills.
Photograph Courtesy of Metro. © 2010 LACMTA

 

In this photograph it is possible to distinguish concrete from asphalt pieces. Much
of the aggregate produced by the crushers will be used as backfill behind retaining walls.
Photograph Courtesy of Metro. © 2010 LACMTA

 

The generator on the right produces the power for the crusher. To the left can
be seen the tank holding its diesel fuel. Although the South Coast Air Quality
Management District (SCAQMD) has approved seven crusher sites for the project,
only five can be used at one time. Photograph Courtesy of Metro. © 2010 LACMTA

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