September 11, 2005: 4pm
Removal of the Pearman Roadway and
supporting girders
This is where the action is near the base of the Pearman on-off ramps.
Testa is removing panels of the concrete roadway and some of the supporting
girders (See the photos at the end for a view from below which shows
the area where the roadway and girders have been removed and the work area.
And on my way to the worksite - I find Michael (on the left - see the
non-reflective sunglasses) and a colleague (right) cutting a bracket.
Here
is part of our team: Nugget, Michael, Pio, Jim and Richie.
The main idea is that this team removes the concrete roadway - 7 feet at
a time and then the supporting girders - 2 at a time.
Basically, Rich (of Concrete Cutting and Breaking, Inc.) cuts
across the roadway from edge barrier to
edge barrier. Note the harness and restraining cable he is wearing.
Here Rich is cutting toward the opposite edge.
After cutting, a grapple is used to rotate the 7 foot segment up and
move them off the site. This is better characterized in the night
photos below. Here are stacks of 7 foot segments that have been
moved from the Pearman to the base of the approach. Here they
are loaded on trucks and removed.
From below, it is easier to see what is happening. Here the roadway
and the supporting longitudinal girders have
been removed from the far part of the bridge. The cross members and
edge girders remain in place.
Two barges are tied down to catch any small debris from the cutting operation
above
Then the grapple (Probably Michael doing his thing) lifts the segment up.
Here is a sequence from below showing the rotation of 1/2 a 7 foot segment
being rotated up and into a position for removal. The girders, parallel
to the roadway, are later cut and removed. Look under the
red X and green arrows and the missing
support girders are apparent - compared with the darker area.
Here you can see the beginning of rotating the left segment up
and a bit more rotation
and a bit more rotation
until all that remains are the supporting girders which will be cut and
removed
The right concrete panel will then be removed and then another seven foot
segment until the cross beam is reached. Then the supporting girders will
be cut and removed.
