By the end of the weekend, the new Johnson Street Bridge will start taking shape in its new home.
The Dynamic Beast, a giant crane capable of lifting over 800 metric tonnes, began lifting the 290-tonne steel rings on to the barge Friday morning at Point Hope Shipyard in Victoria West. Saturday morning, the crane will position itself under the existing bridge, closing off the waterway, and lift the lower counterweight into place, followed by the north ring. The south ring will be lifted and installed on Sunday before the crane barge heads back to Vancouver, and the crane will return in February to lift the main span where it will be bolted in place.
In October, project manager Jonathan Huggett, said the rings could be in place by Nov. 10 for the $105-million bridge. In August, he said the bridge would B次元官网网址渓ook almost completeB次元官网网址� by Christmas. The bridge is expected to be open to the public in March after many delays.
On Friday he said the public should plan to use alternative routes over the weekend, as the bridge will be inaccessible for several hours at a time. But putting these large steel components into place is a major step forward, something Huggett is excited to see.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a big visual step. For the first time, people are going to start seeing the pieces of the bridge in their final location,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 exciting: you train for this all your life, you put projects together like this, and itB次元官网网址檚 a high point in any engineerB次元官网网址檚 career to do this.B次元官网网址�
on the Johnson Street Bridge replacement
The process cannot be rushed, Huggett added.
B次元官网网址淣obodyB次元官网网址檚 going to lift anything down here until theyB次元官网网址檙e absolutely ready. All safety concerns are done, so theyB次元官网网址檒l wait their time to lift it properly.B次元官网网址�
Such details as the angle of the steel parts, the location of each component on the barge, to the direction of workers pulling their ropes has been carefully calculated over the last five months.
B次元官网网址淲hen you do major lifts in construction, you take enormous care,B次元官网网址� Huggett said. B次元官网网址淭his whole thing is choreographed. TheyB次元官网网址檒l make it look simple, because these guys are professionals. They know what theyB次元官网网址檙e doing, but you donB次元官网网址檛 do it easily.B次元官网网址�
Huggett has suggested Mermaid Wharf as the best spot for the public to watch the work take place over the weekend.
Updated lift schedule:
- Saturday: 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. B次元官网网址� crane barge will position itself under the existing bridge and lift the lower counterweight; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. B次元官网网址� north ring lifted into place
- Sunday: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. B次元官网网址� crane barge lifts south ring into place and departs
