What’s so special about a concrete piling? For North Carolina’s Outer Banks, it means quite a bit, especially when it’s the first of many to support a new bridge.
When “I Lift NY,” formerly known as the Left Coast Lifter—one of the world’s largest floating cranes—hoisted a 645-ton crossbeam into place this February, it marked a milestone in the construction of the $3.9-billion replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge over the Hudson River, 30 miles north of New York City.
The 321-ft-long, 24-ft-wide structure is the only floating bridge in the U.S. composed of glued laminated timber approach ramps connected to a 261-ft-long floating span, which is supported by fiber-reinforced polymer pontoons.
Fast Fix 8, the $62-million project to replace eight Interstate 40 bridges in Nashville during weekend highway shutdowns, finished on Dec. 4, seven months early, which the state credits in part to its first use of construction manager-general contractor project delivery.
