June 20, 2008
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The new 35W bridge: An inside look (literally)
The new 35W bridge: An inside look (literally)
Posted on June 19th, 2008 – 5:10 AM
By RoadguyI got the chance to visit the construction site of the new 35W bridge last week, and I have to say that the place feels a bit like the back lot of a movie studio. Let’s have a click-to-enlarge look:
There are mountains of concrete that might have been broken up by Godzilla…
… terraces befitting an adventure movie set in the Andes …
… and a portal straight out of “Battlestar Galactica”:
Sadly, no Hollywood blockbusters are actually being filmed on the site. The broken-up concrete is the old 35W pavement near Washington Aveune, the “terraces” are where the new roadbed is being dug, and the “portal” — on the south end of the bridge — is where Roadguy got to go inside one of the girders that make up the bridge:
It was very “Indiana Jones,” complete with a small pool of murky water to wade through. This view is looking toward the river; the narrow opening where the light is coming from is directly over the pier and required some ladder action:
(So much for using the inside of the girder for an extra lane of traffic.)
Here’s the view looking back toward land from the farthest segment over the water:
The tubes sticking out of the floor are for injecting grout, and if you look closely, you’ll see evidence of recent human activity: some aluminum cans and half an orange.
Back in the cast-in-place girder — the part over West River Parkway — the ceiling has dozens of these:
Each one corresponds to a precast segment being attached over the river. Cables are threaded through:
And secured like this…
…with these:
Outside the bridge, this guy was doing the threading, sending the cables hundreds of feet into the interior:
Inside, it remained quiet:
The trapeze-looking things hanging from the ceiling will eventually hold lights, anti-icing equipment and “smart” technology that will monitor the bridge. The three conduits on each side will hold mega-cables that will run the length of the bridge.
Also happening while I was there: Paint…
… and everybody’s favorite color, “snowbound white,” got everywhere:
And finally, a shot from up on the ever-expanding deck, where there’s no plumbing, but there is…
No, it’s not for a party; it’s for keeping concrete at the right temperature. But even without ice, the tour would have been pretty darn cool.
