A really big crane will lift swing bridge

UPDATE

Workers are ready to move historic structure along Lewes-Rehoboth Canal

As night falls Feb. 14, workers leave the site after hooking up the swing bridge to a crane in anticipation of a lift and move of the 102-ton structure. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

The historic Lewes railroad, hand-cranked swing bridge, one of the last ones in the country, is rigged to be lifted from its location on the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

The large crane is moved to the swing-bridge site Monday afternoon. Crews spent most of the afternoon preparing the crane for the big lift. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

The 900-ton Digging & Rigging crane is in place ready to lift the swing bridge. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

Digging & Rigging workers connect a crane hoist to counterweights to be fitted along the crane. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

The base of the 900-ton crane moves into place around 1 p.m., Feb. 14, at the Lewes railroad swing bridge site along the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

Tractor-trailers line up along Gills Neck Road bringing sections and counterweights for the crane. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

Gills Neck Road is filled with heavy equipment as the process to assemble the crane begins in the afternoon of Feb. 14. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

Workers place stabilizers to support the weight of the crane being used for the lift.

A smaller crane is used to life sections needed to assemble the crane that will lift the swing bridge. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

At a staging area in the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal parking lot, Digging & Rigging workers start the process to put together the pieces of a 900-ton crane to be used to lift and move the Lewes railroad swing bridge this week. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

A smaller crane is being used to assemble the larger crane needed to lift the 102.5-ton bridge structure. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

A United States flag whips in the breeze over the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal at the site of the Lewes swing bridge. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

Foundations are in place to put the swing bridge on once it’s transported from Gills Neck Road. The display area will highlight the history of the bridge and railroading in Lewes. NICK ROTH PHOTO

If all goes as planned, the 105-year-old Lewes railroad swing bridge will be gone this week from this site along the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. NICK ROTH PHOTO

This is just one piece of a 900-ton Digging & Rigging crane that will be used to remove the swing bridge. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

Trailers containing counterweights for the crane are loaded and ready to move to the site. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

It’s a big operation, requiring several tractor-trailers to haul pieces of the crane. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

Tractor-trailers hauling counterweights have been arriving at the site most of Monday afternoon. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

Twilight colors the background of the site of the swing bridge removal project along Gills Neck Road. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

Ron MacArthur

February 12, 2022

Event Date:

Mon, 02/14/2022 - 10:45 am

As night falls Feb. 14, workers leave the site after hooking up the swing bridge to a crane in anticipation of a lift and move of the 102-ton structure. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

The historic Lewes railroad, hand-cranked swing bridge, one of the last ones in the country, is rigged to be lifted from its location on the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

The large crane is moved to the swing-bridge site Monday afternoon. Crews spent most of the afternoon preparing the crane for the big lift. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

The 900-ton Digging & Rigging crane is in place ready to lift the swing bridge. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

Digging & Rigging workers connect a crane hoist to counterweights to be fitted along the crane. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

The base of the 900-ton crane moves into place around 1 p.m., Feb. 14, at the Lewes railroad swing bridge site along the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

Tractor-trailers line up along Gills Neck Road bringing sections and counterweights for the crane. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

Gills Neck Road is filled with heavy equipment as the process to assemble the crane begins in the afternoon of Feb. 14. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

Workers place stabilizers to support the weight of the crane being used for the lift.

A smaller crane is used to life sections needed to assemble the crane that will lift the swing bridge. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

A smaller crane is being used to assemble the larger crane needed to lift the 102.5-ton bridge structure. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

A United States flag whips in the breeze over the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal at the site of the Lewes swing bridge. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

Foundations are in place to put the swing bridge on once it’s transported from Gills Neck Road. The display area will highlight the history of the bridge and railroading in Lewes. NICK ROTH PHOTO

If all goes as planned, the 105-year-old Lewes railroad swing bridge will be gone this week from this site along the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. NICK ROTH PHOTO

This is just one piece of a 900-ton Digging & Rigging crane that will be used to remove the swing bridge. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

Trailers containing counterweights for the crane are loaded and ready to move to the site. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

It’s a big operation, requiring several tractor-trailers to haul pieces of the crane. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

Tractor-trailers hauling counterweights have been arriving at the site most of Monday afternoon. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

Twilight colors the background of the site of the swing bridge removal project along Gills Neck Road. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

The process to assemble a 900-ton, all-terrain crane to lift the historic Lewes railroad swing bridge got underway early Feb. 14 at a staging area in the parking lot of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal in Lewes.

Delaware Department of Transportation contractor Digging & Rigging Inc. has more than a dozen trucks and tractor-trailers at the site. The company, headquartered in Sparrows Point, Md., has four locations in Maryland, and one each in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

The crane moved to the bridge site at the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal along Gills Neck Road around 1 p.m., Feb. 14. “Once assembly is completed, the bridge could be moved as soon as tomorrow [Feb. 15], but we won’t have a definitive time until Tuesday morning at the earliest,” said Charles “C.R.” McLeod, DelDOT director of community relations.

The section of Gills Neck Road around the bridge site is closed to traffic.

The project to lift the swing bridge was halted Dec. 1 when it was determined the crane in place could not lift the structure. The weight was estimated at 70 tons, when in actuality, the bridge weighs 102.5 tons or 205,000 pounds.

The 105-year-old swing bridge, one of the last remaining hand-cranked railroad bridges in the country, has not been used for nearly five years. The bridge was deemed unsafe in 2017 and closed after the discovery that scouring around its supports in the canal had dropped the bridge's foundation 7 to 8 inches.

The Lewes Junction Railroad & Bridge Association can be credited with saving the bridge from being scrapped. Through the cooperation of DelDOT, the City of Lewes and the association, a plan was developed to save the bridge and find a location to display it.

Some of the site work has been completed on the permanent display area along the trail from Lewes to Cape Henlopen State Park at the end of American Legion Road.

The project also includes removal of the embankment on the marsh side of the canal, and construction of a trailhead and fishing area at the end of the trail along the canal side.