Over the long weekend, Caltrans demolished then rebuilt a large portion of the San Francisco Bay Bridge:
Contractor C.C. Myers – the Rancho Cordova (Sacramento County) firm that repaired the collapsed MacArthur Maze in 18 days – is doing the work. Workers already have built the new concrete piece just south of the bridge, where it rests atop temporary columns, waiting for the demolition.
Instead of using pneumatic hammers and wrecking equipment, crews will try to speed the demolition and cleanup process by using large concrete-saws to slice the existing bridge into 63 pieces. Then a huge crane will hoist the slabs onto trailers to be towed away by waiting trucks, Ney said.
“Everything is designed for ultimate efficiency,” he said.
Once the demolition is complete, workers will use a unique roller system to push the new 6,500-ton viaduct into place. Rails will be installed beneath the structure, which will be lifted by jacks and slowly moved into position, and lowered onto permanent columns that have already been built. Then workers will apply the finishing touches and prepare it for the Tuesday morning commute.