ON THE HUDSON – The first steel support
structure for the new Tappan Zee Bridge was put in place Wednesday evening.
The super crane, brought to the site months earlier, was used to lift
the giant steel beam into place.
Thruway Authority compliance engineer Thomas McGuiness said most of the bridge steel is pre-assembled on the ground.
“Today, we’re picking up three girder lines,” McGuiness said. “Each girder is roughly 400 feet long, 12 feet tall in height and bolted together in their final alignment. We’ll pick up that piece in one unit, that’s weighing roughly 1,100 tons and set that in its final resting place on top of the piers.”
Project Design Manager David Capobianco said the “super crane” has a huge role in the success of the project.
“It facilitated the construction schedule and it enabled things to be done in a more efficient and less costly manner,” Capobianco said.
The twin span bridge is expected to be completed in a little over five years at a cost of $3.9 billion.
Girder is longer than a football field
