With the construction of the main-span road deck largely completed, the next step in the process is one that may go unnoticed by many amid the recent lowering of the derrick cranes, tower cranes and elevators. It’s the installation of the more than 8,000 linear feet of concrete barrier rail: 2,000 feet on the north edge of the deck, 2,000 feet on the south edge, and 4,000 feet in the median.
Constructing the barrier rails involved ironworkers installing epoxy coated reinforcements, electricians installing electrical conduits, carpenters installing forms, and concrete workers pouring and curing concrete. The day after the pour, carpenters returned to strip the form and installed the form for the next section. Approximately 200 to 300 feet of barrier is constructed each day. Concrete finishers patched holes and grind rough edges to obtain a smooth, uniform texture.
The main-span barrier rails will meet the several thousand feet of barrier rails that already exist on the approach structures to create a reinforced, protective wall for motorists traveling over the new bridge.
