August 26, 2005:
Girder removal process of the Pearman on-ramp:
Cooper and Lee Streets (from Sparky Witte).
The five remaining girders are removed one at a time using
two grapples - the right one stabilizes the girder while the left one
pulls it away from the pier cap
You can see the left side pulled back while the right side begins to drop
and here the two grapples gently lay the girder down
And now there are four - with grapples at each end
The left side pulled back while the right side drops
and sort of put to bed
and now there are three
with the third gently lowered to the ground
Removing the last edge girder - the right grapple stabilizes the girder
while the left grapple disrupts the structural integrity
by pulling the left segment back
and then a controlled drop
Nice job - and all removed
Removing the Piers and Cap
Our Testa surgeon grabs the left side of the pier cap
Pulls it forward a bit
and a little more
releases and a small free fall