Acrow Bridge, an international bridge and engineering supply company, has recently supplied a temporary railroad bridge to the City of London for use in a road widening project.
The company’s modular steel bridge is 70 ft. long by 18 ft. wide. It features rails over a timber deck with a Cooper E80 loading rating. Assembly and installation of the temporary structure took five days and was completed in September. Because of restricted access, it was assembled near the site and was transferred using two cranes.
“Acrow’s structure proved the ideal solution for this project,” said Acrow Bridge project engineer Jack Bishara. “Using a rental structure allows for a fixed dollar amount to be allocated to the detour bridge, and it can help ensure a project stays on or ahead of schedule, important for both contractors and government entities alike.”
The site of the project is located within the Western University District, where a bridge built in 1931 has carried Canadian Pacific Railway traffic over a two-lane road. The road has been subject to heavy traffic congestion during peak hours and to address the issue, two more lanes will be added.
The first segment of the project included replacing the existing bridge to accommodate the four-lane road below. To carry traffic while construction of the new structure is underway, an Acrow Bridge was rented. It was opened on Nov. 7 and is expected to stay in place until May 2018.
The contractor for the road widening project is McLean Taylor Construction and design engineering services were provided by AECOM.