I know nothing about civil engineering or construction and these videos are always so informative and interesting. Thanks for making it easy to understand and fun to watch!
I reccomend checking out the youtube channel Practical Engineering. He does a fantastic job of covering civil engineering topics and even has a video just on mechanically stabilized earth.
Glad to hear! If my silly mind can eventually wrap itself around an idea, then it's pretty simple to explain. I'm not an engineer by nature, that's for sure!
This is some Practical Engineering level type quality here. In Arizona we've had a mix of both. Usually continuous box girders are used as flyover ramps while some straight bridges were I-beam girders. I've noticed the state over the past few years go completely to I-beam concrete girders. You rarely see them erect a continuous box girder bridge anymore.
I thought the subject matter was kinda _Practical Engineering_, too, just presented quite differently. I really enjoy both channels. I wonder what a collaboration would be like! 🙂
Happy you noticed! Yes, it was about a year of shooting. The falsework release shots took several visits at 3 AM last summer, often for several hours of watching and waiting for the right moment.
Yup. Then add in safety requirements so nobody dies putting up a bridge, and you kind of start to understand why projects like these take so much time+money in developed countries. You could build this in half the time but it wouldn't be nearly as reliable nor as safe to build. It would cost lives during construction and then lives when it eventually fails before it was supposed to. Talk garbage all you want about how american projects go over budget and take forever, but we don't have routine failures like countries that don't build things properly/safely. The success is measured in preventable deaths.
@@CRneu Exactly. And it would get built in a fraction of the time if it was a completely new highway. But it’s built over and next to an existing highway with live traffic, which can’t just be shut down. Makes everything really complicated.
True. But all construction needs some kind of temporary works, even if it's just scaffolding or simple formwork. It's just that bigger projects need bigger and more impressive temporary works. On one military job I did the formwork needed to support a 1m thick heavily reinforced concrete slab. It needed as much engineering design as the slab itself!
Thank you, Road Guy Rob! I hope every parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle and their neighbors, share this video. I was a very fortunate kid: my dad was a civil / sanitary engineer, and he would take my brothers and I to all manner of job sites. UA-cam is next best. Your excitement and presentation is the best!😊
It's funny, when I was 3 years old I had a VHS about how to build a road with live footage of trucks and guys building a road, now here I am 30 years later, watching guys build a road. It just so fascinating.
When you get outside of most major cities in California, you come upon very well-maintained low traffic roads. It's where a lot of our gas tax goes since repairs within a city are much more expensive and time consuming. There are some really beautiful places in California when you get out of the major metro areas like North of LA along Pacific Coast Highway, or South of Reno hugging the Nevada/California border. For a road trip, I don't recommend using North 5 to get to Northern CA. It's basically a straight shot through the central valley for hours when you are North of LA.
I have been involved in creating that paperwork. That book is a set of drawings used to construct the road and bridges. We drew them by hand using pencil and paper. And then printing sets of copies of blueprints on 36 in by 24 in paper. Later in my career, we went to computer aided drafting systems (Cad). We started printing on 11 in by 17 in paper. By the end of my career we just sent the drawings as electronic files to a printer that distributed them as PDF format electronic files to the contractors for bidding and eventually for the winning bidder, to construct the project. I suspect that by now, the use of tablets and laptops is replacing those books of paperwork in the field.
Yeah. Considering the money involved, it's good to have a huge book of papers detailing every single minor detail just in case you need to hire a litigator to take it into court to argue why you shouldn't be responsible for a $5 million blunder.
@@Irishfan I definitely still use a paper copy, can't run out of battery, easy to see in bright sunlight, can spread out multiple pages etc. But yeah it might go fully electronic eventually.
This is better than what most tv shows that have dozens of people working on it would be. The production quality is off the charts, especially the graphics/animations. Been watching since 30k.
Thank you so much for this video. As a person living in Bakersfield I’ve eagerly awaited the opening of the Centennial Corridor for several years. I was able to drive the new construction on Sunday and it is a great a contribution to getting from the east side of town to the west and the I-5. It should relieve traffic at the interchanges. If only people understood that most interchanges are designed so a driver can keep going the speed limit and there’s no reason to slow down unless necessary. And my sister rode her bicycle in the newly completed section, along with 1,000s of others.
As a Bakersfield resident, I hope this flyover being complete means the city can pursue traffic calming and/or road diets on parallel routes that are now redundant. Rosedale Highway is insanely unsafe for everyone on that stroad. But as a civil engineering student from Bakersfield, very informative and well-produced video! Exciting to see the engineering behind a project so close to home.
I mean, maybe if you put enough traffic calming/ downsizing on the old routes? Looks like a great chance to get traffic out of neighborhoods. Generally how far people travel isn't a question of distance, it's a question of time per trip, so a new Highway means more trips made and in a few years the old roads could be back to current travic levels. But this is a great opportunity to block (or at least inconvenience) through traffic downtown to improve noise levels and increase safety.
I live in town too. Architecture major here. Don't you think Rosedale Hwy will be difficult to redo given it's the only route East to West that cuts through Rosedale and downtown. All the roads parallel to Rosedale Hwy end too abruptly at either the 99 or in the West.
@@thatcapuchin6597 yeah it would be tough, but here’s where other people might disagree with me: i don’t think those roads should even be highways. they should be vibrant, walkable commercial and residential corridors. maybe they could terminate 178 at the interchange with golden state ave as a means to connect to 99-S and then 58-W via the new flyover. it would be super roundabout and the car-brained people of bakersfield would oppose it, but we would then have a wayyy better and less disjointed downtown and a safer rosedale highway. of course rosedale and 23rd/24th street could be kept for local travel, but all cross-town/regional travel would be routed through 58/99/178. it’s a total pipe dream and might not even work logistically but i’m just spitballing. i also think they should cap 178 and return the old urban grid of east bakersfield, but that’s a whole other can of worms.
@@weirdfish1216 Oh for some reason I forgot about another project in the pipeline dubbed "Hageman Flyover" this would make hopefully make Hageman Rd. another alternative from taking Rosedale Hwy and reducing the traffic would make Rosedale Hwy easier to modify right? I could visualize 178 following the same route as Golden State 204 to terminate at 99. It would form a partial beltway around downtown and as you said making it more inviting overall for people. I like how Q St is developing it's something downtown could be if it weren't bisected by hwy 178.
@@weirdfish1216 You know having lived in the east side for some time I definitely agree if they capped 178 and returned the grid it would make the entire East Bakersfield more walkable. It's walkable already but lacks complete sidewalk and sufficient lighting. But it really would if make East Bakers more interesting.
All the design work and concrete work is what my dad did for for CalTrans 1955-75. He also loved to work with wood building various things over the years. Once the False Work was removed he would help himself to choice bits like big timbers and ply wood. He'd pack it in his orange Caltrans truck and bring it home. We were always unloading this stuff when he goy home, most of it full of nails and having concrete stuck to it. I miss those days.
Rob, you do a wonderful job of concisely explaining complex engineering!!! Many box-beam girder bridges today are being built (35W replacement bridge in Minneapolis) using precast segments and use the same principles as the cast in place type you have shown (post-tensioning). The superelevations you noted on this project wouldn't allow for the precast type of construction. FYI, the foundations shown for the bridge piers are called 'drilled shafts.' One minor correction: The top of the piers on this bridge are called 'pier caps' and not 'bent caps.' A bent cap is normally used to tie together a group of 'bent' pile columns. Interestingly, box beam design is what saved the I-10 bridge in L.A. from needing a complete rebuild after the fire was set underneath in November. Had it been steel girders it would have collapsed like the bridge in Philly last year. Instead, they were able to use shoring (falsework) to support it and get traffic back on it while repairs are made to the damaged components.
Fascinating... and well put together especially for those of us who don't know a whole lot on engineering, construction, and roads other than yea... I drive on them.
You did it Rob! You captured just about every important principle of highway bridge building...and the information flows perfectly. Thank you for producing this short documentary, worthy of a Hollywood award. The City of Bakersfield is so fortunate to have Luis, Gilbert and Ravi work on this project along with a number of other staff members, consultants and contractors. Thank you again Road Guy Rob!
looks like the CA DOT is opening up for CC like you to help them public communicate... This has the same feels as the Underground and UK National Rail videos of Geoff Marshall (if you don't know him, he's pretty much the go-to guy for everything London Underground, plus he used to the record holder for travelling all 200+ station on the Tube in the shortest time.)
The freeway opening JUSSTTTTTT beat this videos release. I live in Bakersfield so it was cool seeing some "behind the scenes" looks at the Centennial Corridor project!
Awesome stuff Rob! Hopefully something to cover in the future universal tolling! Can’t count how many times I’ve driven from Chicago to Denver or now to Texas and there is so many regional tolling or even just smaller tolling systems that I have to stop and pay or keep multiple stickers from each system.
@@kenbrown2808 most states tax fuel on a state level, county level and then a city level. There is also a federal tax on fuel for infrastructure. For what it's worth I'm an oregonian and Oregon Department of Transportation is constantly seeing budget issues. A recent example is their inability to pay plow drivers a competitive wage which has left much of the state without plow drivers.
@@CRneu that's because of two reasons. first, we let the idiots pass a law that restricts fuel tax to road repair, and second, we haven't adjusted the fuel tax in decades, and we need to raise it. and I say that as a person who burns an average of 25 gallons a week.
@@CRneu Bike Portland has a video about that (ironically). Apparently ODOT is short on money because they keep chasing expansion projects than aren't properly funded instead of covering the maintenance their money is supposed to be for.
Let’s just ban trolls, I mean tolls altogether. They’re a regressive form of revenue that hurts the little guy disproportionately. Respectfully submitted.
This feels like such a weird comment to make, but I can't help myself Your visualizations are SO COOL man! Seriously top notch! @1:48 - the animation of the truck, perfectly matching your physical movement of the bridge model. Awesome! @2:24 - watching the piles be "hammered in" - so cool! @2:35 - animation of digging a hole, followed by adding rebar, followed by filling with concrete! Wow! @4:45 - the visualization of the different segments of the bridge are great. The added audio effects are WAY over the top. Amazing! @7:06 - sagging bridge .. .. There are others but you get the point! I didn't even mention the physical models and demonstrations. Combined with the visualizations, you make complicated topics a lot easier to understand. On top of it all, the on-location nature of the video really ties it all together. Great work man, I love your videos, and I really appreciate the work you put into them!
I live about an hour north of Bakersfield, and when I worked for my last job, I drove that part of 99 quite a bit and it was a nightmare, I'm so glad that they finally got this finished. Great video Rob, happy to see some of the roads I drive on featured on your channel.
I didn't know Caltrans was working on extending I-40 into Bakersfield, but now all that improvement and the new overpass at Kramer Junction makes sense. Learned a bunch of new things from this video, thanks Rob!
Creating videos educating people about the complexities of their society's infrastructure is a public service. When road construction is perceived by motorists as endless and inefficient (as it often is), those perceptions can metastasize into doubts about the people, organizations, even governments, behind that project. In reality, construction is just complex, and the cheapest, most efficient way of going about it often takes time. Thank you for making this video, Road Guy Rob. PS, news channels should buy rights to your videos to show on their channels. I can imagine the news anchor cutting to you and saying: "have you noticed the construction on our town's road? We go now to Road Guy Rob for some of the amazing engineering going into that construction project..."
I’d love to see a video on how MN DOT is spending $350 million redoing the “can of worms” interchange on I-35 and I-535 in Duluth Minnesota. Back when it was built they elevated it off the ground using steal beams or shallow piles. Overtime they’re starting to rot and rust away and the interstate goes directly above it. Another fun fact of why they’re redoing it is because of all the home homeless people that live under it. It would be awesome to see a video on it at some point!! Love your videos Rob! Love from Duluth Minnesota. Edit it would also be awesome to see a video on the construction of the new Blatnik bridge connecting Duluth Minnesota to Superior Wisconsin it’ll be a video do in the future though as it’s still in the planning phase
I'm still amazed at how much the rebar strengthens the concrete. Reinforced concrete is so much stronger than regular concrete and rebar without concrete, it's a little mind-bending.
The production value on your videos is always outstanding! At first I thought this was a TV program being re-uploaded to UA-cam, because there's no way a UA-cam channel the size of yours could have the ability to make something this good.
Its all about how the cross section affects the Moment of Inertia. The more material you can place the furthest away from the neutral axis that the material will support the better it will resist bending loads.
I totally appreciate the educational aspects of these UA-cam videos. Schools should show them to encourage young people to choose civil engineering as a career field.
We ride on highways and bridges every day but don’t understand the massive amount of engineering, money and labor that goes into building them. Thanks for a behind the curtain look at what goes into building these modern marvels.
Cool to see you in my neighborhood! That's awesome haha 😂 Glad you covered the westside parkway corridor ! I was always curious about the engineering behind this.
I can't believe I missed a new Rob video ... for TWO MONTHS. This was the fix that my mental health was asking for. Thanks for being awesome, Rob. On a totally separate note, you remind me of Rob Wolchek who did the Hall of Shame on FOX2 in Detroit. He was super popular way back when ... maybe still is, I dunno because I don't follow the news but like you, he did cool segments that people loved. ❤
@@janetlewis7145 how will we ever know ridership if rail never gets built? 🤔 Can't say people don't use public transportation because alternatives to cars are woefully lacking.
@@BigBoyJay_69 Look at BART and AMTRAC they have been around for decades and are still recieving yearly subsidies. HSR will be the same thing. People will give up cars when they want not when they are forced to. I choose to keep driving. If you want to take a train, boat , ship, bus or car I support your choice. Bill
@@janetlewis7145 can you tell me how much subsidies roads and car infrastructure receive? 🤔 Weird how people always say public transit isn't profitable when that same logic never applies to roads and cars
@@janetlewis7145roads basically exist on 100% subsidies. Rail isn’t supposed to be profitable, just as roads aren’t supposed to be profitable. Happy to clear that up for you
they're building and upgrading the hiways in my area and now I have a new appreciation on why it takes so long. I never knew they had to wait a month just for the concrete to cure before moving on to the next phase.
FINALLY DID ONE ON BAKO! Knew it from the intro. This is the 58-W. For years, Bakersfield had 99 N and 99 S but only one way going east/west. 58 E is the only highway, 58 W was just a bunch of avenues you followed. Now we have the Westside Parkway, which is the Western highway of the 58, which is now finally connected via this project, known as Centennial Corridor.
I've watched several of your videos and am impressed by the mostly balanced outlook of them. I also like the dive into the techniques. Much more fun and informative then the books I stumbled into at the university library that I still like to read.
My hometown! HWY 58 extension west was cancelled west of the 99 in the 1970s but decades later the city realized we needed a crosstown freeway. Hindsight really is 20/20
Great job succinctly explaining things. You covered all the main points in a manner that both expert’s and novices can both enjoy. All the while having such a friendly and up beat attitude. :)
Nice work! As a bridge engineer, i think you did a great job explaining how bridges are made! Of course theres a lot of other nuances that go into it but overall i think you did a great job! I haven't seen the hollow concrete girders used in my state yet but we use precast I- beams for a lot of our bridges without the slab on the bottom. The most similar thing i can think of that we used was a steel tub girder bridge but each tub was visible. Can't wait to see more from you
I bet it would be, but only in the long run. Very free seem to want to push for it when they won't live to see the investment pay off. 😑 (That goes for both citizens and leaders) @@charlesrodriguez7984
@@charlesrodriguez7984 Over time? Absolutely. The problem is the initial cost really scares people. Look at all the major projects we're now proud of such as the interstate system, hoover dam, etc. These things cost so much money to build yet we're proud of them because our parents/grandparents built them. Nowadays you can't even propose rail without a bunch of rural yokels going insane about how much it'll cost while completely ignoring the massive benefits that would make it worth every dollar. What America does instead is patchwork repair our infrastructure because it only costs 1/10th per patch to do vs building something new that wouldn't require patchwork. This makes people feel like they're saving money when in reality it's far more expensive over time to do this kind of repair work. American infrastructure is outdated, behind technologically, and doesn't serve it's population very well. We're 20-30 years behind when we really needed to be replacing a lot of this stuff and we can't even agree on basic things at the moment. It's really sad to see what we fight over while our infrastructure crumbles.
@@CRneu ohh it's definitely outdated but maybe we need to start looking at the insane cost for car infrastructure. I am all for upgrading existing infrastructure before new build.
Rob... you need to do video on Canada roads especially on the bbn prairie's like Winnipeg that are in huge public conversation that go way back to why their new roads are made so differently than just across the border and the finished product is worse.... would be an unbelievably popular video.
Found this out as a teen by looking up at the bridges and seeing a wood grain pattern and perfect 4x8 foot lines. I figured they were hollow to some extent
I think you made an interesting point, I-5 goes right around Bakersfield. To that same argument, it’s around 35-45 miles away from the city of Fresno who houses over 500,000 residents. The only accessible routes to the 5 being south via 41 or North West via 152
This video answers so many questions I’ve had about bridges for so long. I know your in Cali, but i wish a Texas version of you could do this same video to show how they do the Texas bridges. I know we use I-Beams made out of pre-stressed concrete, but they also add these pre made tiles to the bridge before they lay the deck. I’d love to see that up close and detailed one day.
When you first started the Video I thought it looked the 99 and 58 in Bakersfield. They have been working on this interchange for years. We are so ready for it to open.
This was a really good video! A bit more technical than your previous videos, which I enjoyed. It is fascinating seeing the purpose behind all the different design elements of the freeways that I drive on daily.
Absolutely horrifying that even in 2024, we are still displacing hundreds of people to build ugly concrete monstrosities. Just look at the street view of the Westpark neighborhood 10 years ago. Now, an entire community has been forever scarred by asphalt, yet again.
My favorite part is recognizing the exact areas Rob goes to (I recognized that part of Medford- it’s near some shopping areas and a park, where there is the older overpass like that). Good to see they are expanding to get Bakersfield connected to I5 (slowly, but surely).
Fascinating, Rob. I've been seeing a lot of factory built concrete beams used for overpasses here. Also some uniquely interesting structures in some locations. I believe that they don't want more steel, because winter salt rusts it. A big thing here now is moving bridges for fast replacement
Very informative and entertaining. I was looking for a video like this to help my growing, restless, curiosity for a while now, thank you very very very much!!!
That's pretty cool the City of Bakersfield let you come out and do your video and check out all the steps and processes in the building of the bridge! Super neat!
Fun Fact: At one point Caltrans switched over to the metric system, but they were running into difficulties with contractors during construction projects. Caltrans then switched back to imperial measurements.
Drove from Phoenix to Bakersfield last year in a motorhome and I can attest that CA-58 is one of the WORST highways in the southwest. Never again. So happy we got through before the snow closure! The interstate treatment would be a massive improvement. On the other hand I love CA-99 going north. So much more pleasant than I-5.
Great video. Even from the other side of the Atlantic, I am always interested in your videos. Always explained in a way a layman can understand and your comedic touches always make it entertaining as well as informative.
I love your videos! I’m a massive road geek and love learning more about roads and freeways. I wish they would just make CA-58 into I-40 all the way to the I-5… It just makes sense… There’s plenty of traffic on it for it to be a interstate…
I know nothing about civil engineering or construction and these videos are always so informative and interesting. Thanks for making it easy to understand and fun to watch!
I reccomend checking out the youtube channel Practical Engineering. He does a fantastic job of covering civil engineering topics and even has a video just on mechanically stabilized earth.
Glad to hear! If my silly mind can eventually wrap itself around an idea, then it's pretty simple to explain. I'm not an engineer by nature, that's for sure!
every one of your videos in my eyes is like watching an alphabet or rhyme song but for civil engineering@@RoadGuyRob
@@zachbrenner9959you beat me to it!
@@RoadGuyRobI'm that nigga and I love this channel by bud 6
This is some Practical Engineering level type quality here.
In Arizona we've had a mix of both. Usually continuous box girders are used as flyover ramps while some straight bridges were I-beam girders. I've noticed the state over the past few years go completely to I-beam concrete girders. You rarely see them erect a continuous box girder bridge anymore.
The outro reminds me of Practical Engineering :)
I thought the subject matter was kinda _Practical Engineering_, too, just presented quite differently. I really enjoy both channels. I wonder what a collaboration would be like! 🙂
What luck that Practical Engineering also posted a new video today. It's like Christmas.
From all of the segment shots, it's pretty clear that the amount of time it took to make this video. Thank you for your dedication.
Happy you noticed! Yes, it was about a year of shooting. The falsework release shots took several visits at 3 AM last summer, often for several hours of watching and waiting for the right moment.
@@RoadGuyRob it is very much appreciated! 🦆 duck says so too
Not to mention sitting in the middle of a road to do a demo 😂
This is 100% one of the coolest dudes on the Internet and one of the coolest and informative channels on UA-cam.
Absolutely, and he explains things so well. He really is a treasure.
Agreed
And he's a snappy dresser! Ladies-look out!!
I'm blushing.
@@RoadGuyRob Good. Just don't let it go to your head(s). 😉
4:39 Ravi is a family friend! So cool to see him in one of your videos.
He's a cool dude! Tell him hello!
@@RoadGuyRob Will do!
Rob is carrying on the legacy of what PBS, History, Discovery & Science Channels used to be. Love to see it.
My thoughts exactly!
It's impressive to see how much temporary infrastructure there is for big construction projects
Yup. Then add in safety requirements so nobody dies putting up a bridge, and you kind of start to understand why projects like these take so much time+money in developed countries.
You could build this in half the time but it wouldn't be nearly as reliable nor as safe to build. It would cost lives during construction and then lives when it eventually fails before it was supposed to.
Talk garbage all you want about how american projects go over budget and take forever, but we don't have routine failures like countries that don't build things properly/safely. The success is measured in preventable deaths.
@@CRneu Exactly. And it would get built in a fraction of the time if it was a completely new highway. But it’s built over and next to an existing highway with live traffic, which can’t just be shut down. Makes everything really complicated.
@@CRneu Most of the project time is wasted in worthless environmental studies.
I would love to see a future video about temporary infrastructure during road work
True. But all construction needs some kind of temporary works, even if it's just scaffolding or simple formwork. It's just that bigger projects need bigger and more impressive temporary works. On one military job I did the formwork needed to support a 1m thick heavily reinforced concrete slab. It needed as much engineering design as the slab itself!
Thank you, Road Guy Rob! I hope every parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle and their neighbors, share this video. I was a very fortunate kid: my dad was a civil / sanitary engineer, and he would take my brothers and I to all manner of job sites. UA-cam is next best. Your excitement and presentation is the best!😊
Thank you very much for your generous contribution, Donald! You're very kind!
It's funny, when I was 3 years old I had a VHS about how to build a road with live footage of trucks and guys building a road, now here I am 30 years later, watching guys build a road. It just so fascinating.
Remember the Dave Hood "There Goes a Truck" videos?
ua-cam.com/video/uujvcw_fwis/v-deo.html
I love how he knows where there are double yellow roads open with NO TRAFFIC for filming his arts and craft projects.
I found my secret filming street!
When you get outside of most major cities in California, you come upon very well-maintained low traffic roads. It's where a lot of our gas tax goes since repairs within a city are much more expensive and time consuming. There are some really beautiful places in California when you get out of the major metro areas like North of LA along Pacific Coast Highway, or South of Reno hugging the Nevada/California border.
For a road trip, I don't recommend using North 5 to get to Northern CA. It's basically a straight shot through the central valley for hours when you are North of LA.
When they pulled out that brick of a book I gasped. So much paperwork
Remember when they flew to the moon they had a body tall size stack of code books (they still use "morse code" to code the instructions then...)
I have been involved in creating that paperwork. That book is a set of drawings used to construct the road and bridges. We drew them by hand using pencil and paper. And then printing sets of copies of blueprints on 36 in by 24 in paper. Later in my career, we went to computer aided drafting systems (Cad). We started printing on 11 in by 17 in paper. By the end of my career we just sent the drawings as electronic files to a printer that distributed them as PDF format electronic files to the contractors for bidding and eventually for the winning bidder, to construct the project. I suspect that by now, the use of tablets and laptops is replacing those books of paperwork in the field.
@@Irishfan I wonder if there's still a regulatory rule for that hardcopy as a hardware backup as a +1 to the 321.
Yeah. Considering the money involved, it's good to have a huge book of papers detailing every single minor detail just in case you need to hire a litigator to take it into court to argue why you shouldn't be responsible for a $5 million blunder.
@@Irishfan I definitely still use a paper copy, can't run out of battery, easy to see in bright sunlight, can spread out multiple pages etc. But yeah it might go fully electronic eventually.
This is better than what most tv shows that have dozens of people working on it would be. The production quality is off the charts, especially the graphics/animations. Been watching since 30k.
Thank you so much for this video. As a person living in Bakersfield I’ve eagerly awaited the opening of the Centennial Corridor for several years. I was able to drive the new construction on Sunday and it is a great a contribution to getting from the east side of town to the west and the I-5. It should relieve traffic at the interchanges. If only people understood that most interchanges are designed so a driver can keep going the speed limit and there’s no reason to slow down unless necessary. And my sister rode her bicycle in the newly completed section, along with 1,000s of others.
And check out @TheHeightenedPerspective for his drone footage of the construction from beginning to end.
Yes, I did ride my bike. 🚴♀️
As a Bakersfield resident, I hope this flyover being complete means the city can pursue traffic calming and/or road diets on parallel routes that are now redundant. Rosedale Highway is insanely unsafe for everyone on that stroad.
But as a civil engineering student from Bakersfield, very informative and well-produced video! Exciting to see the engineering behind a project so close to home.
I mean, maybe if you put enough traffic calming/ downsizing on the old routes? Looks like a great chance to get traffic out of neighborhoods.
Generally how far people travel isn't a question of distance, it's a question of time per trip, so a new Highway means more trips made and in a few years the old roads could be back to current travic levels. But this is a great opportunity to block (or at least inconvenience) through traffic downtown to improve noise levels and increase safety.
I live in town too. Architecture major here. Don't you think Rosedale Hwy will be difficult to redo given it's the only route East to West that cuts through Rosedale and downtown. All the roads parallel to Rosedale Hwy end too abruptly at either the 99 or in the West.
@@thatcapuchin6597 yeah it would be tough, but here’s where other people might disagree with me: i don’t think those roads should even be highways. they should be vibrant, walkable commercial and residential corridors.
maybe they could terminate 178 at the interchange with golden state ave as a means to connect to 99-S and then 58-W via the new flyover. it would be super roundabout and the car-brained people of bakersfield would oppose it, but we would then have a wayyy better and less disjointed downtown and a safer rosedale highway. of course rosedale and 23rd/24th street could be kept for local travel, but all cross-town/regional travel would be routed through 58/99/178. it’s a total pipe dream and might not even work logistically but i’m just spitballing.
i also think they should cap 178 and return the old urban grid of east bakersfield, but that’s a whole other can of worms.
@@weirdfish1216 Oh for some reason I forgot about another project in the pipeline dubbed "Hageman Flyover" this would make hopefully make Hageman Rd. another alternative from taking Rosedale Hwy and reducing the traffic would make Rosedale Hwy easier to modify right?
I could visualize 178 following the same route as Golden State 204 to terminate at 99. It would form a partial beltway around downtown and as you said making it more inviting overall for people. I like how Q St is developing it's something downtown could be if it weren't bisected by hwy 178.
@@weirdfish1216 You know having lived in the east side for some time I definitely agree if they capped 178 and returned the grid it would make the entire East Bakersfield more walkable. It's walkable already but lacks complete sidewalk and sufficient lighting. But it really would if make East Bakers more interesting.
All the design work and concrete work is what my dad did for for CalTrans 1955-75. He also loved to work with wood building various things over the years. Once the False Work was removed he would help himself to choice bits like big timbers and ply wood. He'd pack it in his orange Caltrans truck and bring it home. We were always unloading this stuff when he goy home, most of it full of nails and having concrete stuck to it. I miss those days.
I was there for the bike ride on the freeway corridor. Thousands of people went and everyone had a good time. Thank you for the amazing video Rob!
My sister was there too!
I rode my bike that day too.😊
Very informative. I never get tired of your insight and positivity! Thanks, Road Dude!
Why, thank you!
Wish you were around in the 1990s when they rebuilt the S-Curve of US-131 in downtown Grand Rapids, MI. THAT was a hell of a technology story.
6:14 "Air is not very strong" 😂
Sonic Boom says, "Hold my beer!"
In fairness, am I wrong? 😀
@@RoadGuyRob Regular air at sea level atmospheric pressure isn't very strong, but compressed air "can be very strong"!
This channel is so underrated. Epic video as always.
"How It's Made: Highway Bridges", presented by Road Guy Rob
Rob, you do a wonderful job of concisely explaining complex engineering!!! Many box-beam girder bridges today are being built (35W replacement bridge in Minneapolis) using precast segments and use the same principles as the cast in place type you have shown (post-tensioning). The superelevations you noted on this project wouldn't allow for the precast type of construction.
FYI, the foundations shown for the bridge piers are called 'drilled shafts.'
One minor correction: The top of the piers on this bridge are called 'pier caps' and not 'bent caps.' A bent cap is normally used to tie together a group of 'bent' pile columns.
Interestingly, box beam design is what saved the I-10 bridge in L.A. from needing a complete rebuild after the fire was set underneath in November. Had it been steel girders it would have collapsed like the bridge in Philly last year. Instead, they were able to use shoring (falsework) to support it and get traffic back on it while repairs are made to the damaged components.
Fascinating... and well put together especially for those of us who don't know a whole lot on engineering, construction, and roads other than yea... I drive on them.
You did it Rob! You captured just about every important principle of highway bridge building...and the information flows perfectly. Thank you for producing this short documentary, worthy of a Hollywood award. The City of Bakersfield is so fortunate to have Luis, Gilbert and Ravi work on this project along with a number of other staff members, consultants and contractors. Thank you again Road Guy Rob!
The commerical break logo in the middle and the lower thirds info blurbs tell me this was edited with TV in mind. Are you getting a TV series?!
Road Guy Rob just blesses us with a markedly early 2000s public access channel documentary vibe! 😅
Sadly (or happily?), no. I just try to do good work. A lot of long nights/early mornings getting this stuff edited.
8:57 should have informed NJ DOT who are rebuilding I-295 and had the retaining wall fall down (caused over a year delay in the project).
The entire topic of M.S.E. walls was a new one to me. Pretty cool tech (if it's built correctly, I suppose)!
looks like the CA DOT is opening up for CC like you to help them public communicate...
This has the same feels as the Underground and UK National Rail videos of Geoff Marshall (if you don't know him, he's pretty much the go-to guy for everything London Underground, plus he used to the record holder for travelling all 200+ station on the Tube in the shortest time.)
The freeway opening JUSSTTTTTT beat this videos release. I live in Bakersfield so it was cool seeing some "behind the scenes" looks at the Centennial Corridor project!
Awesome stuff Rob! Hopefully something to cover in the future universal tolling! Can’t count how many times I’ve driven from Chicago to Denver or now to Texas and there is so many regional tolling or even just smaller tolling systems that I have to stop and pay or keep multiple stickers from each system.
use the system oregon uses. you pay the highway tax, when you fill up with fuel, instead of having toll roads everywhere.
@@kenbrown2808 most states tax fuel on a state level, county level and then a city level. There is also a federal tax on fuel for infrastructure.
For what it's worth I'm an oregonian and Oregon Department of Transportation is constantly seeing budget issues. A recent example is their inability to pay plow drivers a competitive wage which has left much of the state without plow drivers.
@@CRneu that's because of two reasons. first, we let the idiots pass a law that restricts fuel tax to road repair, and second, we haven't adjusted the fuel tax in decades, and we need to raise it. and I say that as a person who burns an average of 25 gallons a week.
@@CRneu Bike Portland has a video about that (ironically). Apparently ODOT is short on money because they keep chasing expansion projects than aren't properly funded instead of covering the maintenance their money is supposed to be for.
Let’s just ban trolls, I mean tolls altogether. They’re a regressive form of revenue that hurts the little guy disproportionately. Respectfully submitted.
I love it when you can get out into the field on these projects. Your channel is so interesting. I always learn something new.
Thanks Chad!
This feels like such a weird comment to make, but I can't help myself
Your visualizations are SO COOL man! Seriously top notch!
@1:48 - the animation of the truck, perfectly matching your physical movement of the bridge model. Awesome!
@2:24 - watching the piles be "hammered in" - so cool!
@2:35 - animation of digging a hole, followed by adding rebar, followed by filling with concrete! Wow!
@4:45 - the visualization of the different segments of the bridge are great. The added audio effects are WAY over the top. Amazing!
@7:06 - sagging bridge ..
..
There are others but you get the point!
I didn't even mention the physical models and demonstrations. Combined with the visualizations, you make complicated topics a lot easier to understand.
On top of it all, the on-location nature of the video really ties it all together.
Great work man, I love your videos, and I really appreciate the work you put into them!
I live about an hour north of Bakersfield, and when I worked for my last job, I drove that part of 99 quite a bit and it was a nightmare, I'm so glad that they finally got this finished. Great video Rob, happy to see some of the roads I drive on featured on your channel.
Glad to you see you finally in a proper ANSI vest.
In fairness, I was on a proper job site and had to actually be safe.
we had wooden plank roads in the early automotive industry, they were upgraded to concrete and asphalt for a reason. woods needs consistent upkeep.🍻
I didn't know Caltrans was working on extending I-40 into Bakersfield, but now all that improvement and the new overpass at Kramer Junction makes sense. Learned a bunch of new things from this video, thanks Rob!
You're welcome!
Hey Rob, you should consider doing a video on draw bridges, like in Alameda Ca, and those pedestrian bridges they have all over Vegas.
He did one on the I-5 bridge.
Creating videos educating people about the complexities of their society's infrastructure is a public service. When road construction is perceived by motorists as endless and inefficient (as it often is), those perceptions can metastasize into doubts about the people, organizations, even governments, behind that project. In reality, construction is just complex, and the cheapest, most efficient way of going about it often takes time. Thank you for making this video, Road Guy Rob.
PS, news channels should buy rights to your videos to show on their channels. I can imagine the news anchor cutting to you and saying: "have you noticed the construction on our town's road? We go now to Road Guy Rob for some of the amazing engineering going into that construction project..."
I’d love to see a video on how MN DOT is spending $350 million redoing the “can of worms” interchange on I-35 and I-535 in Duluth Minnesota. Back when it was built they elevated it off the ground using steal beams or shallow piles. Overtime they’re starting to rot and rust away and the interstate goes directly above it. Another fun fact of why they’re redoing it is because of all the home homeless people that live under it. It would be awesome to see a video on it at some point!! Love your videos Rob! Love from Duluth Minnesota.
Edit it would also be awesome to see a video on the construction of the new Blatnik bridge connecting Duluth Minnesota to Superior Wisconsin it’ll be a video do in the future though as it’s still in the planning phase
The positive energy you have mixed with the density of information in each video makes them such a blast to watch! This one was especially awesome.
My husband works for security paving. Everyone in the union are hard workers their hard work isn’t appreciated enough. Good job fellas!
Rob, growing up as a kid nerding out on highways and freeways, you are my "Bill Nye the Science Guy". Thanks for what you do. I'm a really big fan!
I'm still amazed at how much the rebar strengthens the concrete. Reinforced concrete is so much stronger than regular concrete and rebar without concrete, it's a little mind-bending.
Thanks, Rob!!! I live nearby, and I’m so excited this is finished.
I can't wait to drive it myself soon!
The production value on your videos is always outstanding! At first I thought this was a TV program being re-uploaded to UA-cam, because there's no way a UA-cam channel the size of yours could have the ability to make something this good.
What a nightmare it would be having a freeway installed right through your neighborhood.
Its all about how the cross section affects the Moment of Inertia. The more material you can place the furthest away from the neutral axis that the material will support the better it will resist bending loads.
Very informative. Thank you.
I totally appreciate the educational aspects of these UA-cam videos. Schools should show them to encourage young people to choose civil engineering as a career field.
The production quality of this video was top notch, thank you for the informative content!
You're welcome!
As an inspector for highway construction it’s so amazing to see what other states are doing with road work.
We ride on highways and bridges every day but don’t understand the massive amount of engineering, money and labor that goes into building them. Thanks for a behind the curtain look at what goes into building these modern marvels.
Just discovered you from Practical Engineering. I love your videos. Don't ever stop posting please.
Cool to see you in my neighborhood! That's awesome haha 😂
Glad you covered the westside parkway corridor ! I was always curious about the engineering behind this.
I can't believe I missed a new Rob video ... for TWO MONTHS.
This was the fix that my mental health was asking for.
Thanks for being awesome, Rob.
On a totally separate note, you remind me of Rob Wolchek who did the Hall of Shame on FOX2 in Detroit. He was super popular way back when ... maybe still is, I dunno because I don't follow the news but like you, he did cool segments that people loved. ❤
$100MM for ONE bridge, $500MM for a short expansion, and bulldozed homes? Yet building rail costs too much, right?
Yes, if many people don't use it. Plus it will be subsidized with tsx dollars forever. Bill from California
@@janetlewis7145 how will we ever know ridership if rail never gets built? 🤔 Can't say people don't use public transportation because alternatives to cars are woefully lacking.
@@BigBoyJay_69 Look at BART and AMTRAC they have been around for decades and are still recieving yearly subsidies. HSR will be the same thing. People will give up cars when they want not when they are forced to. I choose to keep driving. If you want to take a train, boat , ship, bus or car I support your choice. Bill
@@janetlewis7145 can you tell me how much subsidies roads and car infrastructure receive? 🤔 Weird how people always say public transit isn't profitable when that same logic never applies to roads and cars
@@janetlewis7145roads basically exist on 100% subsidies. Rail isn’t supposed to be profitable, just as roads aren’t supposed to be profitable. Happy to clear that up for you
I had a suspicion you'd be doing a video about Centennial, but this was even cooler than I was expecting. :)
they're building and upgrading the hiways in my area and now I have a new appreciation on why it takes so long. I never knew they had to wait a month just for the concrete to cure before moving on to the next phase.
Love the uploads rob
FINALLY DID ONE ON BAKO! Knew it from the intro. This is the 58-W. For years, Bakersfield had 99 N and 99 S but only one way going east/west. 58 E is the only highway, 58 W was just a bunch of avenues you followed. Now we have the Westside Parkway, which is the Western highway of the 58, which is now finally connected via this project, known as Centennial Corridor.
I've watched several of your videos and am impressed by the mostly balanced outlook of them. I also like the dive into the techniques. Much more fun and informative then the books I stumbled into at the university library that I still like to read.
My hometown! HWY 58 extension west was cancelled west of the 99 in the 1970s but decades later the city realized we needed a crosstown freeway. Hindsight really is 20/20
Great job succinctly explaining things. You covered all the main points in a manner that both expert’s and novices can both enjoy. All the while having such a friendly and up beat attitude. :)
Nice work! As a bridge engineer, i think you did a great job explaining how bridges are made! Of course theres a lot of other nuances that go into it but overall i think you did a great job! I haven't seen the hollow concrete girders used in my state yet but we use precast I- beams for a lot of our bridges without the slab on the bottom. The most similar thing i can think of that we used was a steel tub girder bridge but each tub was visible. Can't wait to see more from you
Found this channel a few months ago and it's one of my favorites of late.. great pieces!
$100 million for a ramp? Damn car infrastructure is getting crazy expensive
California construction costs are some of the highest in the nation between the need for earthquake survival, and high labor rates.
@@PsRohrbaughI wonder if a high speed train would be cheaper than new highways.
I bet it would be, but only in the long run. Very free seem to want to push for it when they won't live to see the investment pay off. 😑
(That goes for both citizens and leaders)
@@charlesrodriguez7984
@@charlesrodriguez7984 Over time? Absolutely. The problem is the initial cost really scares people. Look at all the major projects we're now proud of such as the interstate system, hoover dam, etc. These things cost so much money to build yet we're proud of them because our parents/grandparents built them. Nowadays you can't even propose rail without a bunch of rural yokels going insane about how much it'll cost while completely ignoring the massive benefits that would make it worth every dollar.
What America does instead is patchwork repair our infrastructure because it only costs 1/10th per patch to do vs building something new that wouldn't require patchwork. This makes people feel like they're saving money when in reality it's far more expensive over time to do this kind of repair work.
American infrastructure is outdated, behind technologically, and doesn't serve it's population very well. We're 20-30 years behind when we really needed to be replacing a lot of this stuff and we can't even agree on basic things at the moment. It's really sad to see what we fight over while our infrastructure crumbles.
@@CRneu ohh it's definitely outdated but maybe we need to start looking at the insane cost for car infrastructure. I am all for upgrading existing infrastructure before new build.
NGL this channel is criminally under-rated and under-subscribed
I do wonder just how bad the inside of a box girder must smell due to lost deck just sitting there rotting
Just recommended this channel to some family members. High quality and entertaining content. Keep it up!
Rob... you need to do video on Canada roads especially on the bbn prairie's like Winnipeg that are in huge public conversation that go way back to why their new roads are made so differently than just across the border and the finished product is worse.... would be an unbelievably popular video.
Found this out as a teen by looking up at the bridges and seeing a wood grain pattern and perfect 4x8 foot lines. I figured they were hollow to some extent
I think you made an interesting point, I-5 goes right around Bakersfield. To that same argument, it’s around 35-45 miles away from the city of Fresno who houses over 500,000 residents. The only accessible routes to the 5 being south via 41 or North West via 152
This video answers so many questions I’ve had about bridges for so long. I know your in Cali, but i wish a Texas version of you could do this same video to show how they do the Texas bridges. I know we use I-Beams made out of pre-stressed concrete, but they also add these pre made tiles to the bridge before they lay the deck. I’d love to see that up close and detailed one day.
Why is this so interesting. It has no right to be this interesting. I want more.
Great video and glad you could cover that big Centennial Project! Super cool that the city gave you access also, very neat!
Amazing video and breakdown. This isn't something I'd research myself or have a background in, so you making an in-depth video like this is great.
I have been driving back and forth under this project for years and I was wondering why this always had so much wood around it. Cool video!
As a Bakersfield Resident, this project has been started since 2018, THANK GOD ITS FINALLY DONE
When you first started the Video I thought it looked the 99 and 58 in Bakersfield.
They have been working on this interchange for years.
We are so ready for it to open.
This is so cool!! The people in this video seem so nice, and what a blast to get to go out and walk on one of these!!!
This was a really good video! A bit more technical than your previous videos, which I enjoyed. It is fascinating seeing the purpose behind all the different design elements of the freeways that I drive on daily.
Absolutely horrifying that even in 2024, we are still displacing hundreds of people to build ugly concrete monstrosities. Just look at the street view of the Westpark neighborhood 10 years ago. Now, an entire community has been forever scarred by asphalt, yet again.
I live in Bakersfield. Watched them transform that freeway for years. Your video makes it look 1000 times nicer 😂
Professional production from a channel far smaller than it deserves
My favorite part is recognizing the exact areas Rob goes to (I recognized that part of Medford- it’s near some shopping areas and a park, where there is the older overpass like that). Good to see they are expanding to get Bakersfield connected to I5 (slowly, but surely).
I like how the whole bridge is tensioned with a giant cable. And that huge book of engineering drawings was very cool.
I love that someone on the internet shares my obsession with roads. Nice video as always! 😂
Fascinating, Rob. I've been seeing a lot of factory built concrete beams used for overpasses here. Also some uniquely interesting structures in some locations.
I believe that they don't want more steel, because winter salt rusts it. A big thing here now is moving bridges for fast replacement
I've been wanting to learn about types of bridges in America since 2020, and now I love your video.
Very informative and entertaining. I was looking for a video like this to help my growing, restless, curiosity for a while now, thank you very very very much!!!
I am finding myself becomming more and more interested in infrastructure as I get older. Super interesting how much goes into projects like these
Hey man, just saw you on the video with practical engineering and I can't believe i never found you before. Love the content!
That's pretty cool the City of Bakersfield let you come out and do your video and check out all the steps and processes in the building of the bridge! Super neat!
Only in California will they close a highway to allow a strange man to build a bridge using 2 water bottles and a piece of cardboard.
Good stuff man very educational
Fun Fact: At one point Caltrans switched over to the metric system, but they were running into difficulties with contractors during construction projects. Caltrans then switched back to imperial measurements.
Drove from Phoenix to Bakersfield last year in a motorhome and I can attest that CA-58 is one of the WORST highways in the southwest. Never again. So happy we got through before the snow closure! The interstate treatment would be a massive improvement. On the other hand I love CA-99 going north. So much more pleasant than I-5.
Damn, they took down hundreds of houses in California? That must've cost the state $40
Great video. Even from the other side of the Atlantic, I am always interested in your videos. Always explained in a way a layman can understand and your comedic touches always make it entertaining as well as informative.
I love your videos! I’m a massive road geek and love learning more about roads and freeways.
I wish they would just make CA-58 into I-40 all the way to the I-5… It just makes sense… There’s plenty of traffic on it for it to be a interstate…
Another great video. So cool to see the access you got to the construction.