wiredInUSA August 2016

INDEX

MAKING THENEWS Bridging the gap with stay cables

The installation of stay cables on the newGoethals Bridge has begun. Set to replace the existing steel truss bridge, built in 1928, the new cable-stayed bridge will connect Staten Island to Elizabeth, New Jersey. This process of installing the 72 stay cables on the new bridge’s eastbound span will continue through the summer. Threading the strands (each one consisting of a bundle of tightly wound steel wires) through a cable’s outer pipe takes several days. The westbound span will also feature 72 stay cables. The support cables of cable-stayed bridges tie directly to the support towers. The twin spans of the new Goethals Bridge will each feature two sets of V-shaped towers, which will hold a total of 144 stay cables to support the two bridge decks.

Installation of the stay cables on the newGoethals will provide the structural strength necessary for workers to build the eastbound roadway itself which, during the coming months, will gradually extend out from the New York and New Jersey towers to meet in the middle.

According to the Port Authority, both the eastbound and westbound structures are projected to be substantially complete in late 2017, with full project completion, including demolition of the old bridge, projected for late 2018. S S A crane hoists the cable to its anchorage within the 272-foot tower of the new Goethals Bridge. Photograph courtesy of Mike Dombrowski, Port Authority

wiredInUSA - August 2016

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