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wiredInUSA - August 2016
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.
INDEX
S
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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