Off-topic, sorta: Bridge-raising

Last night's entertainment here in Newburyport featured sculpture of a sort, some dancing around, fireworks and even a clown car. It was kind of like Cirque du Soleil. They drove what amounts to the golden spike for the Clipper City Rail Trail - installing an 80-foot bridge above Low Street for pedestrians and bikes, which fills the last gap in the trail that will connect the train station to the waterfront. There used to be a railroad bridge at the site, but this project required new abutments and a bridge built down in Tennessee. The work started much later at night than expected, and a lot of local folks missed it, so I'm posting it here with the indulgence of my regular readers. After the jump: pix, tales and a video.

The project was supposed to run 6-10 p.m. I biked down at 6 and the policeman was just putting on his fluorescent vest to close Low Street. The bridge, he said, was still in Chelmsford. My neighbor Mike and I walked down through the path from High Street at 9 and the crane was all set up, but still no bridge:

(Looking East toward the Rt. 1 lights.)

Mike and I did the only sensible thing and walked all the way to the Whale, where we sank a couple of pints and watched the Pats. An hour later, we walked all the way back to Low Street, and the bridge had just arrived, 80 feet of heavy metal art, all the way from Chattanooga:

 

(Looking west from near Rt. 1.)

It wasn't on a flatbed, actually. There was a cab with a big hitch, and an entirely separate little caboose, and the bridge was welded to them at each end. So the first step in the project was cutting the welds, which generated the fireworks:

 

 

Then it was time to actually lift the thing, with a sling like they use to put boats in the water, and guys on each corner holding ropes. They had to raise it off the truck, turn it 90 degrees while missing the hanging wires, and lower it onto the abutments on either side so that bolts at each corner lined up with holes in the bridge. It was hilarious to see this giant thing getting tweaked into place by guys with crowbars and their bare hands, shouting things like, "I need another inch over here!" Finally they powered up a Volvo excavator and used the bucket to nudge the bridge into place, using a 2x4 as a bumper. A couple of pictures and a video...and then we get to the clown car!

 

 

 

OK, so while this is going on - the raising took five minutes, the adjusting took 30 - Mike is talking to the truck driver, who says they did 60-65 mph all the way up from Tennessee, a thousand miles of highway. And his boss drove the caboose. Looking closely, we see this low-down little cab on the back part, not even as tall as the tires, with a steering wheel, a recycled tractor seat and no glass in the windows or nothin'. Rained most of the way, the truck driver said, boss was getting wet. So we went over for a closer look. We met the boss - Walt Stearly - and at Mike's suggestion he jumped inside for a photo op. There were maybe 25 spectators left at this point, and at least half a dozen gathered around, flashes popping like he was Ashton Kutcher:

  (Walt!)

Had to be an uncomfortable ride. By then it was after 11, and Mike and I went home while they were still tapping the bridge into place.#

Comments

[christine geiger]

that is so cool! i live in groveland and go to church in newburyport at Old South. I've been watching the developments of it as we drive in and out of town on Low street... I wondered when this was finally coming to fruition!

hey -- not to totally pimp ourselves out on you but i work with a high school aged Shakespeare program out of Salem, and we are going on tour with Twelfth Night a week from today. if you're interested. Being all ... arts and stuff.

www.rebelshakespeare.org

:-)

[christine geiger]

(by the way -- I came here via Universal Hub, long time reader and user, but have never left comments here before. Nice to meet you).

[Joe Geller]

Here is a link to additional photos taken by Joe Geller - http://picasaweb.google.com/JDGeller/NewburyportLowStBridge?authkey=Gv1sRgCO6d6NivzMzI2AE&feat=directlink