Changing the face of Charleston : The unbuilding of the Grace and Pearman Bridges
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Unbuilding Highlights
(Apr 10)
Meeting St. Stories
(Jul 10 2006)
East Bay Stories
(Oct 10 2006)
Drum Island Stories
(Feb 17)
Pearman Bridge Stories
(Apr 3)
Grace Bridge Stories
(Apr 3)
Imposions: Prep and boom
(Mar 27)
Unbuilding Bridge Blog
(July 23 2006)
Unbuilding Challenges
(Mar 13)
Learning Links
(Feb 20)
Unbuilding Stories
(Mar 13)
Video and Sounds
(Feb 28)

Unbuilding sights and sounds
Unbuilding ( demolition ) of the Grace and Pearmans Bridges

September 20, 2005 11:45
Extracting a pair of girders

September 20, 2005 12:31
Extracting a pair of girders

September 21, 2005 10:03
Jack Foley and how to cut rebar

September 21, 2005 10:20
Cutting concrete segments

September 21, 2005 10:26
Cutting concrete segments

September 21, 2005 17:54
Picking up a concrete segment

September 29, 2005 15:24
Test blast of a Pearman Column (D 6) (mpg)

September 29, 2005 15:24
Test blast of a Pearman Column (D 6) (wmv)

October 05, 2005 12:31
Dropping a Pearman support

October 11, 2005 10:00
Dropping the Town Creek Segment (Pearman)

October 16, 2005 15:29
Raising and dissembly of a Pearman segment

October 20, 2005 23:00
Night work: Lowering a concrete girder
(no sound)

October 20, 2005 23:57
A view from the top of the Pearman: Lifiting a girder

October 22, 2005 11:18
Watch Michael remove a roadway segment and Richie push it

October 31, 2005 16:56
Watch Brad pick a girder section and Ryan stabilize it

November 01, 2005 16:12
Watch the 1250 hammer away

November 07, 2005 16:54
Picking up a 50 ton girder

November 08, 2005 14:37
Building a reef - Testa's surgical method

November 10, 2005 8:06
Chris picking a girder from the Pearman ramp

November 11, 2005 13:13
Watch carpet laying, Testa style

November 12, 2005 6:20
Burning through burried rebar

November 12, 2005 6:40
Watch the Cashman-Testa Pace of Work

November 14, 2005 14:45
Harvesting a concrete girder

November 14, 2005 14:57
Watch Jack Foley eat a concrete girder

November 15, 2005 10:00
Dropping the Drum Island Cantilever Section

November 15, 2005 10:03
Pearman implosion (slow motion)

November 18, 2005 11:15
Chris lifts girders by the light of day (also)

November 22, 2005 14:17
Bob, Scotty, Jack, Brad and the Ironworkers - more about girder harvesting

November 30, 2005 9:45
Loading dynamite in D-25 (12 Mb quicktime)

November 30, 2005 15:53
D-25 Implosion

November 30, 2005 15:53
Slow motion D-25 implosion

December 06, 2005 0:00
Slow motion from the Port of Charleston

December 06, 2005 10:01
From the Ravenel Bridge

December 06, 2005 10:01
Slow motion from the Ravenel Bridge

December 06, 2005 10:01
From the Port of Charleston

December 14, 2005 7:12
Early morning girder harvesting

December 16, 2005 14:01
Sequentially dropping M1-M5 Pearman Supports (mpg)

December 16, 2005 14:01
Slow Motion (quicktime): Dropping M1 - M5

December 16, 2005 14:01
Real time (quicktime): Dropping M1 - M5

January 09, 2006 10:15
Loading D-24 (18 Mb video)

January 09, 2006 10:45
Loading D-24: Dynamite, clay dummies and stemming (50 Mb - high resolution)

January 09, 2006 15:00
M-24 implosion: real time (mpg video)

January 09, 2006 15:00
Quicktime slow motion (4x) - D-24 implosion

January 09, 2006 15:00
Quicktime video of D-24 implosion

January 10, 2006 14:00
Imploding Pearman pier D-26

January 11, 2006 15:01
Real time video of D-27 implosion

January 11, 2006 15:01
Slow motion (4x) video of D-27 implosion

January 12, 2006 14:00
Implosion of Pearman pier D-28

January 17, 2006 14:00
Implosion of Pearman pier D23 and D-25 substructure

January 18, 2006 13:36
Dropping T4 - the last Drum Island Pearman support

January 24, 2006 15:20
Drilling through rebar (or trying to)

January 24, 2006 15:25
Smooth drilling - note the column of dust

January 25, 2006 14:20
Drilling C-3 from the jackup barge

January 25, 2006 16:10
Lowering the jackup barge (looking west)

January 25, 2006 16:12
Lowering the jackup barge (looking east)

January 25, 2006 16:30
Moving the jackup barge from C-3 to C-2

January 26, 2006 15:00
Brett blows the T-4 foundation

January 26, 2006 15:00
High resolution of the T-4 blast (22Mb quicktime)

January 28, 2006 9:19
Roy Delpriete gives new meaning to Graceful extraction of roadway segments

January 30, 2006 11:53
Implosion of D-23 substructure (from the Ravenel Bridge)

February 02, 2006 8:59
Mickey and Ken loading

February 02, 2006 9:15
Measuring, pouring and loading (64 Mb quicktime)

February 02, 2006 10:25
Mickey Rogers ties in the ignition lines (13 Mb quicktime)

February 02, 2006 11:34
Real time D-24 substructure from the Ravenel island (2 Mb quicktime)

February 02, 2006 11:34
Slow motion D-24 substructure implosion from the Ravenel island (13 Mb quicktime)

February 02, 2006 11:34
Implosion of Pearman D-24 substructure (from the Ravenel Bridge)

February 04, 2006 20:20
Rich and night-time concrete cutting

February 05, 2006 10:00
Implosion of a building in Columbia

February 07, 2006 14:01
Removing the D-26 substructure

February 14, 2006 10:21
Loading D-25

February 14, 2006 11:35
Michael operating on Drum Island - Jim Grier is the chief surgeon

February 14, 2006 13:21
Old Unfaithful

February 14, 2006 15:01
Implosion of the D-25 substructure (quicktime)

February 14, 2006 15:01
Imploding the Pearman D-25 substructure (mpg)

February 14, 2006 15:01
Implosion of D-25 substructure (2 Mb quicktime)

February 14, 2006 15:01
Slow motion implosion of D-25 substructure

February 15, 2006 10:00
High resolution real time (8 Mb quicktime)

February 15, 2006 10:00
Real time video of the Grace cantilever truss (1.3 Mb mpg)

February 15, 2006 10:00
Slow motion Dropping the Grace cantilever truss (8 Mb quicktime)

February 15, 2006 10:00
Real time Drop the Grace cantilever truss (3 Mb quicktime)

February 16, 2006 15:00
Mickey's team imploding the M5 Pearman substructure

February 17, 2006 10:15
The A team fells the last Grace structure on Drum Island

February 22, 2006 13:43
Mammoet lowers the Pearman mainspan

February 25, 2006 13:23
Transverse bites of Grace's main span

February 25, 2006 13:42
Watch Richie burn

February 25, 2006 13:56
Felling the Pearman main span

February 27, 2006 11:56
A dancing grapple

March 01, 2006 8:26
Positioning the Cape May under the Grace main span

March 01, 2006 11:42
Lowering the Grace main span

March 01, 2006 15:52
A gentle push for Grace

March 01, 2006 15:54
Grace, on her way home

March 04, 2006 9:35
Watch Manny lift the Mammoet Girder

March 04, 2006 15:00
Par, Farmer, Art and Rip - watch their skill

March 11, 2006 16:45
Retrieving a truss section from Town Creek

March 11, 2006 17:10
Handoff from shear to grapple

March 16, 2006 13:41
Lifting a section of roadway girders

March 16, 2006 14:58
Moving the roadway to the traveling barge

March 16, 2006 15:07
Gracefully lifting a pier

March 16, 2006 16:00
Another Graceful pickup

March 18, 2006 9:58
Watch Manny lift Grace's top

March 18, 2006 9:58
Manny gracefully lifing Grace's top (different perspective)

March 18, 2006 11:45
Watch Manny lift Grace's base

March 20, 2006 7:45
Watch Nugget burn

March 20, 2006 11:29
Jackie and Richie - takes two to tango with Grace

March 20, 2006 11:54
The Dynamic Duo - Jackie and Richie

March 20, 2006 11:56
Another duet with Jackie and Richie

March 20, 2006 13:44
Burning Grace

March 22, 2006 15:00
Real time: T-3 and Frank say goodbye

March 22, 2006 15:00
Slow motion: T-3 and Frank say goodbye

March 22, 2006 15:00
T-3 and Frank say goodbye (high res 27 Mb)

April 04, 2006 14:00
D-27 substructure implosion

April 05, 2006 9:00
Slow motion: Demolition Dynamics: Dropping a Pearman cantilever section

April 05, 2006 9:00
Real time: Dropping the east Pearman cantilever

April 12, 2006 9:59
Real time: Dropping the Grace truss segments between P-11 and P-13

April 12, 2006 9:59
Slow motion: Dropping truss sections between P-11 and P-13

April 18, 2006 12:19
Manny lifting a Graceful truss section

April 28, 2006 10:00
Real time blast of the Grace Cantilever

April 28, 2006 10:00
Slow Motion Grace cantilever blast

April 29, 2006 12:10
Watch Richard lift the Grace truss from the Cooper River

April 29, 2006 12:38
Watch Michael rotate the Grace truss

May 03, 2006 9:37
Watch Manny catch a big one

May 03, 2006 10:56
Michael and Jackie catching a big fish

May 11, 2006 0:00
Removing C-4's cap

May 11, 2006 0:00
Imploding the M-4 substructure

May 14, 2006 0:00
Dropping C-4 columns

May 24, 2006 10:00
Realtime - Dropping the last Pearman section

May 24, 2006 10:00
Slow motion: The last Pearman blast

June 05, 2006 15:00
Removing P-12

June 05, 2006 15:00
Watch Timmy hammer away at a Grace pier

June 19, 2006 14:57
P-7 into the Cooper River (real time)

June 19, 2006 14:57
P-7 drops into the Cooper River (slow motion)

June 23, 2006 12:56
C3 disappears (real time)

June 23, 2006 12:56
C-3 takes the plung (slow motion)

July 07, 2006 12:58
C-2 takes a dive

July 12, 2006 14:55
P-10 says goodbye

July 14, 2006 14:50
C-1 base heads south

July 14, 2006 14:50
C-1 Slow motion substructure implosion

July 25, 2006 16:33
Unloading debris at the Navy Yard

August 22, 2006 11:29
C-3 substructure implosion (real time)

August 22, 2006 11:29
Slow motion: C-3 substructure implosion

November 02, 2006 10:15
Ironworkers make it look easy

December 06, 2006 14:35
Watch Robbie cut through the Pearman box girder

December 06, 2006 15:33
Watch Manny lift the box girder

December 12, 2006 17:23
Watch God build a rainbow

December 15, 2006 0:00
More surgical skill displayed by Manny

December 15, 2006 13:14
Manny does it again - slowly and carefully

December 15, 2006 13:23
Watch Manny and the Ironworkers unbuild a Grace section

December 15, 2006 15:25
Manny does it again - after Carlos, Nugget and Stan did their thing

December 16, 2006 18:03
Carlos and Nugget - Christmas fireworks

December 19, 2006 9:44
Manny removes another section

December 19, 2006 12:09
Chris lowers the triangle truss

December 21, 2006 10:47
Chris lowers the last of the Grace roadway frame

December 21, 2006 15:01
Manny lowers a Grace pier

January 12, 2007 9:21
Innovation@work: T-1 drops with minimal lateral spread

January 12, 2007 9:21
T-1 gracefully falls in slow motion

January 12, 2007 9:58
T-1 takes a tumble - Innovation @ work by Mickey and Ken

January 13, 2007 14:21
Watch Sarah and Jordan fill stemming bags

January 14, 2007 16:10
Down comes T-2

January 14, 2007 16:10
T-2 falls in slow motion

February 28, 2007 15:59
Shelly pushes the button and look what happened

March 13, 2007 10:15
Last Graceful blast

March 13, 2007 14:25
Manny demonstrates the Manny push strategy.

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Attribution: C. Frank Starmer and Sparky Witte from http://oldcooperriverbridge.org