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)

January 17, 2006: A day in the life of our acrobats
Unbuilding both sides of the Grace cantilevers - a dance in two movements

You get to the work site when you get there and already a truss segment was being lowered.

Down

On the Port side, our acrobats are preparing to free another segment

with the crane stabilizing it.

While on the other side of Town Creek - the elevator is taking another group of acrobats to their worksite

The context - a quartet: two cranes and two cantilever segments

Port side, they are cutting through the transverse girder

while on the Drum Island side, our acrobats are getting into position

On the Port side - the burning is just starting

a closer view of the cuts through the base of the girder on each side

A better view of cutting through the base of the I beam

almost complete on the nearer side

Then cuting through the top of the I beam on the near side

Cutting through the top of the I beam on the far side and you can see the nearer side gap at the completed diagonal cut

a little twist

and the I beam is free

rotated and

lowered to the barge

Meanwhile the Drum Island team continues preparing another segment for removal

cutting on the left

Lifting the segment

and lowering it to the barge

down

down

then on to the next segment

cutting to remove the cross bracing

while on the Port side, work starts for removing another segment

More cutting on the Drum Island segment

cutting the far sides of the cross brace

almost freeing it - and then

cutting through the far end

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