Official Site of The State of New Jersey

This photo is taken just west of the East Thorofare bridge crossing (the eastern most bridge within the project limits). This shows the newly installed steel sheetpile bulkhead and its concrete cap on the right side of the photo. This bulkhead was installed at the southwest corner of this bridge where some advanced deterioration was observed on the original timber bulkhead. The new bulkhead is designed to withstand scour and support the slopes required to maintain the recently installed landscaping elements.

This photo shows the cross frames/diaphragms for the steel girders. After the girders are erected, the diaphragms are placed to provide resistance to horizontal loads and an increase in load sharing between the individual girders. There are a total of 6 girders spaced at 10’-6” for the new WB superstructure. The new steel girders are straight as opposed to the existing girders that were haunched (deeper at the piers) that were used on the existing bridge. To accommodate the reduced steel depth, the existing pier cap seat had to be raised up to seat the girders (the amount the seat was raised can be seen in the different colors of concrete on the face of the pier cap – over time as the concrete ages, this will not be noticeable in the future).



This picture shows the completed east abutment wall that supports the first span of beams and retains the soil from the approach roadway. The abutments for the new bay bridge and rehabilitated bay bridge are now connected to provide complete closure from the approaches. Note that the steel for the rehabilitated bridge was painted to closely match the color of the concrete structure beyond. Steel was used for the rehabilitated bridge because the concrete beams are more than three times heavier than the steel girders, which would have overloaded the original foundations of the rehabilitated bridge which will remain in service.

July

This photo is taken from the Contractor’s east temporary trestle/work platform and demonstrates the progress for the east half of the rehabilitated bridge’s demolition. The deck has been removed from the easterly portion of the bridge, and several spans have had the steel girders removed as well. The bridge spans are numbered from west to east, and spans 15, 16, and 17 in the foreground, and span 12 in the distance have had the girders removed. Cranes mounted on barges are used to remove the large steel elements.



This picture shows the progress of construction for the reconstructed east abutment wall. The existing wall element for the rehabilitated bridge’s abutment had to be removed and reconstructed due to cracking, while the existing footing remains in-service. In this photo, formwork can be seen for the northernmost portion of the abutment wall. This work includes the construction of a closure wall between the new and rehabilitated bridges’ abutment walls so that the embankment soil can be retained effectively between the two bridges.

This picture was taken near to the roadway elevation at the east end of the bridge. Here, the formwork used to support the wet concrete can be seen, along with the epoxy-coated reinforcement steel extensions that will be used to strengthen the next portion of the concrete pour. When the concrete hardens and its required strength is achieved, the forms are removed and the next pour will occur to complete the walls.

This photo is taken near the west end of the bridge looking eastward and demonstrates the progress of the on-going deck demolition. At this time, only three (3) of the 17 spans still require deck removal. After deck removal is complete, the structural steel removal can proceed uninhibited.

may

This photo is taken on the northeast side of the bay bridges and demonstrates the temporary trestle built to date on the east side of the crossing as well as the demolition of the closed bridge. The temporary trestle is a construction platform that is designed to carry the large cranes as they lift demolished sections of the bridge, and will also be used for future loads such as the new steel girders. Temporary trestles will be built at each end of the bridge and extend as needed wherever there is not enough water depth to effectively use barges. The designated navigation channel will not be impacted by either trestle.



This pictures shows the progress of the demolition in the eastern most span of the closed bridge (designated as Span 17 of a total of 17 spans for the bridge). The contractor has to carefully select the demolition procedures and locations of cuts for the steel girders to maintain a safe work zone. The end span of the newly constructed future EB bridge can be seen in the background.

This view is from just east of the Manahawkin Bay crossing and shows the progress of the closed bridge’s demolition at the easterly span and the east abutment. The superstructure in this span is completely removed, other than short overhanging sections of the steel girders. In spans further to the west, the deck and floorbeams have been completely removed. Soil has been excavated at the abutment and the abutment wall demolition is nearly complete. The walls experienced some degradation over time, but the footings and piles below remain in good condition and will remain in service after the rehabilitation is complete.

This photo is taken near the center of the bridge looking eastward and demonstrates the extent of the demolition achieved to date. So far, the deck removal has occurred for an approximate length of 1,200 feet and over 12 million pounds of concrete has been removed. After removal from the project site, the demolished concrete is taken to a disposal/recycling site. In this photo, 5 transverse floorbeams have yet to be removed, while all floorbeams further to the east have already been removed.

This photo is taken at the northwest corner of the closed bridge, looking east. Here, the contractor is preparing to drive pile foundations from an anchored barge to support the temporary trestle structure that will be built at the west end of the bridge. The crane is preparing to pick up the driving leads and hammer located on an adjacent barge in order to drive the three pipe piles extending from the water.

This picture shows the temporary construction road at the west end of the Manahawkin Bay. The road is wide enough for the construction equipment and is maintained regularly by the contractor. This ramp provides access to the west end of the Manahawkin Bay Bridges and the east end of the Hilliards Thorofare Bridge.

April

This view is of an anchored barge with a crane in position to assist with the demolition activities. Barge mounted cranes will be used to lift the bridge's steel girders, which had served as the main supports for the bridge, onto additional barges to carry them to land where they will be recycled.



This view shows the barges that are used to facilitate the bridge work. The barges are temporarily anchored by driving piles a nominal distance into the bay bottom. Once the barges are stabilized, they can be used as a working platform to support heavy crane loads.

This view shows the removal of the concrete deck and floorbeams (deck supports) continuing on the currently closed Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridge The temporary shielding to prevent debris from falling into the bay can be seen in the active work zone. Cables for the temporary shielding are still on spans where the deck has been removed. After the deck is removed, the metal platform is moved to the next location where it is needed.

This view is looking east from the top of the work area near the east end of the bridge. In the background, the concrete deck and the steel floor beams that transfer the deck loads to the bridge's primary support girders have been removed. In the foreground, the deck has been removed, but the floor beams still need to be removed. The existing welded connections between the floor beams and the girders ar burned loose and then the steel is hauled away.

February

Similar to the the new Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridge, a temporary trestle is being installed on the north side of the bridges to facilitate the work performed in the next project phase. The temporary trestle will be used to deliver the new steel beams that will be installed for the rehabilitated westbound bridge. The large diameter pipe piles will support the primary load carrying elements for the trestle bridge.





This view is of the crew removing a segment of the deck slab. The deck is first cut into a manageable size no larger than 12.5 feet wide by 34.5 feet long and then lifted onto a truck and hauled away to a disposal/recycling site. These deck segments weigh as much as 72,000 pounds including the concrete and metal railings.

This view is of the temporary shielding that was installed in preparation for the demolition of the currently closed Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridge. The decking and steel beams will be removed as part of the project. This shielding acts as a working platform and also prevents loose material and debris from entering the bay.

This view is from just east of the Manahawkin Bay crossing and shows the progress of the deck removal for the closed bridge on the right, with the new bridge carrying two lanes of traffic in each direction on the left. In addition to the deck removal, the pavement demolition and temporary grading can be seen on the approach.