Work platform minimizes lane closures, makes contractor access easier
It’s big. It’s yellow. And they call it “the dance floor.” It’s a massive platform hung beneath the floor beam of the bridge to give construction workers access to tight areas below the bridge deck and to store large pieces of equipment.
To minimize roadway and river closures, Phase III contractors, MTI, (http://www.timedla.com/upload/files/news/HPL%20Phase%20III%20Awarded_081707.pdf) have been installing the platform since late April. The platform allows MTI access to perform some work below the bridge rather than on the roadway. This will help minimize the need to close bridge lanes to work in certain areas. Certain activities will still require intermittent lane closures, but the work platform helps to decrease the quantity and duration of the lane closures.
The dance floor is being assembled on the ground and on barges. Once complete, they are lifted by cranes onto hanger brackets secured to the underside of the roadway. Once installation is complete, the platform will extend from the land pier on the West Bank to Pier 4, the river pier closest to the East Bank.
Workers and inspectors access the platform by climbing a tall stair tower. Heavy, large construction items are lifted onto the platform by cranes situated on barges in the river. Once on the platform, workers have safe access to the floor beam and tight areas.
Take a look around the bridge widening project’s Web site (www.hueypbridge.com) and you’ll notice something… the enormous size and scope of this project. It is no small undertaking. And one of the most complex elements of the bridge project is scheduling. The bridge is the longest railroad bridge in the United States, and is one of the three primary Mississippi River crossings in the Greater New Orleans area.
Throughout the length of the project, contractors are challenged with the task of maintaining river, rail and vehicular traffic with little to no interruption. Each type of traffic requires the contractors to comply with different restrictions and governing bodies, such as the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (http://www.dotd.state.la.us/), the U.S. Coast Guard (http://www.uscg.mil/d8/sectLMR/) and the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (http://www.nopb.com/nopb/).
To view more photos of the dance floor and other phases of construction, visit our Photo Gallery (http://timedla.com/gallery/album.asp?album_id=68).
Remember Me