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Construction

850 Ton Bridge lifted into place by world's largest mobile crane

Connecticut Project STP-1092(110), SP 92-526

As part of the I-95 New Haven Harbor Crossing MCGA project, the construction of a new Church Street South Extension over the New Haven Interlocking and Rail Yard was required. To minimize the disruption to train service and eliminate the difficulty with building a bridge over active rail lines, ConnDOT specified that this portion of the bridge be completed in a single night operation over the weekend.

After months of building the structure along side of the active lines, the Church Street Bridge was lifted and set into place at 2:30 AM on Sunday, May 4, 2003 before an estimated crowd of 500. The pick went flawless. This construction operation was a first for the Connecticut Department of Transportation and involved the use of the largest, mobile, land-based high capacity crane currently in existence. The bridge span, a 320 foot long truss weighing over 850 tons, is the main segment of the 1280 foot long bridge that will carry Church Street South Extension over the New Haven Rail Yard to link up with Sargent Drive adjacent to I-95. This high-capacity crane owned by the Lampson International LLC, required over 4 weeks of assembly and was delivered on more than 200 tractor-trailer loads of parts. The crane lifted the truss span in its entirety over 65 feet in the air and traveled 100 feet towards the tracks where it was set in it's final position. The new bridge and roadway extension will connect Union Avenue with Sargent Drive and provide an alternate route for traffic seeking downtown, Sargent Drive, and Long Wharf areas of New Haven. The total project cost is approximately $32 million dollars.

Photo of the crane used to lift the bridge Photo showing truss on construction blocks Photo of Federal Highway and ConnDOT engineer with truss in the background
Photo of truss ready to hook up Photo of truss during the lift Photo of truss on piers over rail road

Click on photo to view larger version

Updated: 06/27/2017
Federal Highway Administration | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington, DC 20590 | 202-366-4000