A key component in the construction of the main span of the Bridge Project will be lifted into place next week on the east tower. The first derrick crane will be installed on the east pier table to begin the building of the main-span roadway segments. Ultimately, there will be four derrick cranes (two per pier table) that will perform the balanced-cantilevered construction of the main span.
Balanced-cantilevered construction will involve the symmetrical addition of bridge segments that starts on both pier tables, then extends toward the end-bents (top of the approaches) and middle of the main span over the water channel. The balanced approach keeps the heavy bridge segments stabilized as the main-span construction progresses.
After the derrick cranes help place a segment on each side of their respective pier table, they will be moved out to the edge of the first segment to aid in placing the second segment. After doing that, the cranes will be moved out to edge of the second segment to place the third, and so on. Toward mid-2019, the segments extending from the east tower will meet the ones from the west tower over the Back Channel.
