BRIDGING THE GAPS: Pieces of temporary bridge arriving daily
...WITH VIDEO

Pieces of a temporary bridge for the largest breach on Highway 12 began arriving Thursday, Sept. 8, as crews continued to make progress in repairing the rest of the highway along Pea and Hatteras islands.
 
The bridge itself is a two-lane Mabey Universal Bridge manufactured by Mabey Bridge Ltd. of Baltimore, Md. The modular design allows the bridge to be put together quickly, allowing traffic to resume flowing, while the strength and durability allow the bridge to remain in place as long as necessary while the North Carolina Department of Transportation devises a plan to permanently repair the damage to the highway caused by Hurricane Irene.
 
Trucks carrying pieces of the bridge began leaving Baltimore on Tuesday, Sept. 6, headed to Pea Island and started arriving Wednesday, Sept. 7. In total 17 trucks have arrived at the site carrying pieces of the bridge as of this morning.
 
Facts on the temporary bridge:

• Manufactured by Mabey Bridge.
• Estimated cost is $2.6 million.
• Arriving in 30 truckloads and will be assembled on-site.
• Once assembled, it will span 662 feet.
• NCDOT will drive 75-foot piles to support the bridge top deck.
• Bridge is made of metal.
• Bridge can support normal car and truck loads and widths, although the speed limit across it will be reduced.
• NCDOT has a similar bridge in place on U.S. 52 in Winston-Salem.

 
Repairs along Highway 12 are estimated to cost about $10 million and will be paid for from Federal Emergency funds. The plan involves the placement of a temporary, manufactured bridge across the largest breach, which is located approximately 6 miles south of the Bonner Bridge, on Pea Island. The remaining breaches are being filled in with sand.
 
In an effort to keep residents and motorists informed about N.C. 12, NCDOT has launched a website and twitter feed. To see photos of the bridge work, please see NCDOT’s Flickr page.


FOR MORE INFORMATION

This animated video illustrates how Mabey’s temporary bridge system works.  The bridge at New New Inlet will be a two-lane bridge. 
Click here: http://www.mabeybridge.co.uk/movAnim.asp