A Mammoet team has installed a 550 ton pedestrian bridge over 11 rail tracks in less than five hours, according to a report in the Construction Index. Kiewit Infrastructure appointed Mammoet for the work, which is part of the revitalisation effort in downtown Colorado Springs.
Prior to Mammoet’s arrival, the 249-foot prefabricated bridge was assembled, welded together, and given a concrete walking surface. Once on site, Mammoet crews used eight 500-ton Mega Jacks to hoist the bridge close to 23 feet in the air to allow for the installation of self-propelled modular transporters for transport.
According to the article, the use of these jacks allowed the team to keep the bridge’s center of gravity low while traversing the tracks. A combination of wooden and steel mats was used to safely cross the railroad tracks and ensure there was no load bearing directly on them—as this could potentially damage the highly trafficked route.
Once the transportation phase of the project was completed, the bridge was jacked down into its final installation location. Mammoet was able to cross the tracks, install the bridge, and remove the 64 axle-lines of SPMT in just under five hours, allowing the railway to begin operations ahead of schedule.
