News Release: Highly Complex Acrow® Lift Bridges Installed
(Quincy/Weymouth, Massachusetts) – August 8, 2002 – Acrow Corporation, an international bridge engineering and supply company based in Carlstadt, New Jersey, USA, has completed 95% of twin parallel detour bridges that includes 210-foot (64 meter) long twin lift spans. The temporary bridge is being installed by The Middlesex Companies for the State of Massachusetts.

On July 29th, the second of the two vertical lift spans was lifted onto the lift span piers by using a large floating crane supplied by Don Jon Marine Construction. The lift span weighed 260 tons (236 m. tonnes) during the lifting process. It was a massive undertaking guided by the expertise of the Acrow Engineering Team.

Immediately after the lift was complete, the Acrow Team of construction, electrical, and mechanical engineers went to work. The U. S. Coast Guard would only allow the waterway's navigable channel to be closed for 5 days. Simultaneously, Middlesex's crews continued completing the assembly while the electrical engineers confirmed the electrical systems functioned as designed, and the mechanical engineers performed the delicate operation of balancing the span.

The Coast Guard's time clock continued to tick away, and the span was ready to operate one full day ahead of schedule. The span was lifted a short distance (5 feet or 1.5 meters) several times to test the various systems with all of the engineers and construction workers positioned strategically. After performing several more adjustments, the span was hoisted to its full up position, which is 180 feet or 55 meters above the water.

The twin detour bridges span the Fore River between Quincy and Weymouth, Massachusetts and will be used by over 50,000 cars daily. The Acrow bridge will remain at the site for approximately 15 years.

The Twin Quincy/Weymouth Acrow Bridges are by far the largest and most complex panel bridges ever constructed. At completion, it will consist of 22 approach spans, 210-foot (64 meter) – long vertical lift spans, 10,000 tons (9,100 m. tonnes) of steel, 60,000 structural bolts, 10,000 panel pins, and a total length of over 2500 feet (763 meters).

Bill Killeen, President of Acrow Corporation, said, “Due to its complexity, this project inherently presented Acrow and the owner with many challenges. The Acrow Team, totaling over 100 specialist, did what they do better than any other bridge company -- created engineering solutions for the customer.

It is of paramount importance to the Acrow Team to maintain good working relationships with our customers. Working closely with Middlesex, the State of Massachusetts, and architectural and engineering firms resulted in the development and implementation of key engineering solutions.”

Acrow Corporation has been servicing the transportation and construction industries for over 50 years with a full line of steel bridge products for vehicle and pedestrian applications. For more information on Acrow Corporation, the Acrow® 700XS® Panel Bridging System, or the Quincy Project, please contact Bill Killeen.