Indian River Inlet Bridge reaches halfway mark
The Indian River Inlet Bridge is halfway done, and if construction proceeds as planned, the bridge should open to traffic in spring 2011.
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IR bridge by the numbers
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The money, to date:
$71 million in federal funding $18 million in state funding $6 million of total paid to local contractors, as of March The metal: 76 cable stays 36 strands of carbon steel per stay 22,700 miles of strands 430-1,030 pounds per stay 27.74 tons of cable stays 1,750 tons of reusable steel in temporary frame The concrete: 291 square concrete piles in bridge footing foundation 2,600 feet, from end to end 900 feet over Indian River Inlet The endurance: 100 years: expected lifespan 140 miles per hour: speed of winds bridge can withstand Sources: Peo Halvarsson, project manager; DelDOT |
The bridge’s 125-foot pylons, their tops shrouded in scaffolding, are visible for miles along Route 1. In the coming months, the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) and contractor Skanska will build the pylons to their full height of 249 feet and begin building the bridge’s main span – 900 feet of concrete and steel stretching over the inlet.
“We’ve entered the peak, now,” said construction manager Peo Halvarsson. “The meat and potatoes of it.
“There are a lot of things happening.”
Skanska is assembling form travelers – rolling frames needed for supporting the bridge as it’s built over water – on the inlet’s north and south shores. After Labor Day, Halvarsson said, they’ll begin stringing up 16.5 miles of cobalt-blue cable stays.
During that time, DelDOT will restrict two-way bridge traffic to the northbound lane. The southbound lane will be open only to cyclists.
“This is an exciting time for the public,” said Secretary of Transportation Carolann Wicks in a press release. “Our bridge is becoming a reality.”
DelDOT spokeswoman Tina Shockley said a separate contract will be awarded for the construction of two bridge approaches and the demolition of the old bridge. She said the project will available for bid before the end of April.
The state is confident in the proposed schedule, but Halvarsson said building in Delaware has presented more than a few challenges.
“It’s a tough climate,” he said. “It’s a severe and aggressive environment.”
Halvarsson has built bridges in his homeland of northern Sweden and in Charleston, S.C., where he helped erect the majestic Cooper River Bridge. He and his crew have had to contend with high winds, nor’easters and two brutal February blizzards, which halted construction for 25 days. Building near the Atlantic Ocean also presents hazards, he said. High winds carry salt spray, which corrodes steel and concrete over the years.
To prevent potentially catastrophic damage, Halvarsson said, Skanska will flood the stay cable interiors with hot wax, which will encase the individual strands inside.
To protect the superstructure, all steel will covered by a minimum of 2 inches of low-permeability concrete.
“The more porous it is, the more susceptible it is to the environment,” he said. “What we’re using is very dense.”
Halvarsson said Skanska has worked closely with local businesses; as of March, it’s spent nearly $6 million on subcontractors, more than half of which was spent on concrete from Millsboro-based Thoro-Goods. Halvarsson said an estimated 230 people labored on the site as of early April; as the pace picks up, he said, that number could increase by 40.
Last month, members of the General Assembly pressured DelDOT for the results of a three-year investigation into why initial attempts to build a new bridge failed.
In a March 22 letter, Wicks said she would not divulge details that could jeopardize the investigation but said lawmakers could be confident that DelDOT is fully exploring the facts.
Estimates of the potential loss suffered from the failed approaches range from $10 million to $20 million, 20 percent of which was funded by the state.
