(Americas) Accomplishes Heaviest US Floating Bridge Lift
Heavy-lift specialist Mammoet collaborated with Flatiron Construction to complete the main span float and lift for the Wellsburg Bridge on the Ohio River.
The complex project was the heaviest floating bridge lift ever executed in the U.S. and connects Wellsburg, West Virginia with Brilliant, Ohio.
“Mammoet was the chosen contractor based on its expertise and experience jacking and floating bridges. Mammoet’s Mega Jack solution provided the least disturbance for ships on the river, as the work could be completed in a maximum of two days. An alternative strand jacking method would have the bridge hanging on strand jacks for at least two weeks,” a spokesperson for Mammoet said.
Mega Jack 5200
Mobilizing eight Mega Jack 5200 towers, Mammoet also utilized eight 500-ton strand jacks to jack-up and install the Wellsburg Bridge, weighing 3,870 tonnes.
“The overall length of the bridge spanned more than 252 meters, the length of more than two American Football fields,” a team member involved in the project said. “This was the first time the Mega Jack 5200 system was used on a barge, and the first time the system of this type and capacity was used in the U.S.”
Prior to commencement, the lifting equipment was installed on four prepared barges in New Orleans, Louisiana, for function testing. Flatiron Construction then floated the barges to Wellsburg, West Virginia, where Mammoet then took over operations.
Expedited schedule
Once positioned next to the bridge piers, the team jacked up the bridge and floated the spans between the piers to install over the bridge bearings. In total, 18 jacking beam layers were used to cover all possible water levels during execution.
“Forecasted windy weather conditions prompted a decision to expedite the schedule and complete the full float in and jacking operation in one day instead of two as originally scheduled,” Mammoet said.
Headquartered in Schiedam in the Netherlands, Mammoet provides a range of services from transportation and logistics planning to heavy lift and crane rental. The firm is a global event partner for Breakbulk exhibitions.
