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)
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(Feb 20)
Unbuilding Stories
(Mar 13)
Video and Sounds
(Feb 28)

December 13, 2005:
Pulling Grace's girders

This morning, Pio, Richie, Brad and Speedy were harvesting girders. After removing the roadway on the Grace and Pearman bridges, the the longitudinal steel girders are harvested. On the Pearman, I watched this when Cashman/Testa were harvesting roadway and girders by night and by day. On the Grace, I watched Neil's team harvest by night and this morning I watched Pio's team harvest a pair of steel griders by day. I almost missed the action.

First Richie. Richie is one of the many unsung heros and one of Testa's all purpose men. You name it and Richie does it with a smile.

Here Speedy is preparing the last almost cuts of the girders.

Next Brad moved his grapple into position in order to connect the cable to the girders as Richie and Speedy position themselves for a little shackle action.

Richie and Speedy connecting the shackles to the girders

and here Richie is finishing tightening the shackle pin

Then Brad gently lifts the grapple to stabilize the girder-pair

and Speedy completes the cuts of the left girder

and the right girder

then Brad gently lifts the girder pair up as Pio and Richie watch

until the bottom of the girder-pair is above the roadway

up a bit more

then moves his excavator back, pulling the girder-pair along the roadway

then Pio pulls the girder down to the Coleman recycling center

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