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The 290-foot structural steel assembly was given a ceremonial sendoff by Tappan Zee Constructors workers at their Port of Coeymans staging yard before being barged down to the project site and installed by the I Lift NY supercrane.
Since June 2015, TZC has installed more than 100 similar assemblies of steel girders on the new approach spans, many weighing more than 700 tons.
The massive steel sections rest atop the new bridge’s concrete piers and, in turn, support the new road deck.
If laid end to end, the new bridge’s girders would stretch for more than 30 miles, greater than the distance between South Nyack and the Statue of Liberty.
In addition to supporting the road deck, the assemblies include infrastructure to carry communications, electrical power, water and compressed air to support bridge operations.
Each of the assemblies was put together at the project’s Port of Coeymans facility in Albany County.
The facility’s 16-acre footprint and ample waterfront allowed TZC to handle critical materials such as girders, bearings, precast deck panels and electrical and mechanical systems safely and efficiently.
Perhaps most importantly, the facility also provides direct access to the Hudson River, allowing the girder assemblies to be transported directly to the project site in less than a day.
The assemblies were installed at the bridge site with the I Lift NY supercrane, the only machine on the project capable of raising the massive structures.
Along with a 1,900-ton lifting capacity, the supercrane also utilizes a custom-engineered lifting frame to raise the project’s steel girder assemblies.
The frame uses hydraulic cylinders to control each corner of the assemblies during lifting operations, allowing for precise placement.
Following the installation of the final westbound girder assembly, the supercrane will perform various lifts for the eastbound bridge in Rockland before undergoing preparations for demolition of the existing bridge and completion of the eastbound bridge in 2017.
Those interested in a closer look at the project are invited to visit the New NY Bridge construction viewing platforms at Scenic Hudson RiverWalk Park in Tarrytown or at Memorial Park in Nyack.
For more information, including a look at the project’s webcams and photo gallery, click here.
For recent Daily Voice coverage of the project, click here and here.
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