Arch put into place in about 6 hours

0 Comments | La Crosse Tribune, Dec 18, 2003 | by Hoskin, Ed

The day started at 5:30 a.m. for bridge workers.

Lights were set up on three barges. There was a safety meeting at 6 a.m.

An hour or so later, the project - the moving of a giant arch onto support columns rising up from the Mississippi River - began in earnest

La Crosse's landscape was about to be changed with the most visible development yet to the new Mississippi River bridge. Built on three barges and scaffolding just south of the existing Cass Street Bridge, the arch was slowly moved into place with three tugboats, winches and a lot of patience.

Even so, with no hiccups and ideal weather conditions for December, the arch transfer went faster than expected.

First, the arch was edged closer to the support columns while workers with radios observed and coordinated the process from vantage points, including the existing bridge.

Then the arch's south end was slowly rotated east toward La Crosse and positioned inches above its resting place. The other end of the arch was pivoted with precision until it, too, rested inches above a pier.

Slowly, but surely, the barges were flooded with water, lowering them and the arch.

About 12:30 p.m., the 2.8 million-pound arch made contact, and gravity held it in place. The barges and scaffolding beneath it were set to be taken away with additional barge flooding.

"It fit like a glove," said Gary Snyder, bridge project leader for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. "As you can see, I have a big smile on my face. Everything has gone real well."

The time was 1 p.m.

The adjacent Cass Street Bridge was opened to traffic again just after 3 p.m., several hours ahead of schedule. It had been closed at 9 a.m. as a safety precaution.

A crew of about 30 workers from Lunda Construction Co. of Black River Falls, Wis., was on the barges as the "float-in" occurred. Lunda has been involved in many big projects, but this was the biggest arch placement the company has ever done.

"It went very well, but I think that was a tribute to the competent planning we had out there," said Paul Nortman, a Lunda employee. "It's definitely a milestone in our project schedule. We still have a long ways to go, though."

Some of the next steps are bringing in road deck girders, connecting cables and working on a retaining wall.

The $40 million bridge is scheduled to open in November. It will create a four-lane river crossing, with one-way traffic across both bridges.