Situation:

On May 23, 1998, a tanker truck carrying 8,700 gallons of gasoline crashed across a concrete barrier on the 360-foot long I-95 bridge over Chester Creek, striking a pickup truck and bursting into flames. The charred bridge buckled under intense heat exceeding 2,000 degrees. PennDOT immediately closed the southbound lanes indefinitely, and Governor Tom Ridge declared a state of emergency on I-95.

A crane lifts one of the new girders into place

 

Action:

High Steel Structures, Inc. was immediately hired to produce nine specially designed steel plate girders and crossframes to repair the bridge. With a full production schedule, High Steel reallocated priorities, altered weekend plans, and committed to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Fabrication was completed two weeks after the order was given, and the beams arrived at the site on June 8th, a week ahead of schedule!  

Result:

On June 29th, with the help of High Steel's speedy delivery, the bridge was reopened 16 days ahead of schedule, much to the relief of the 80,000 motorists the bridge serves each day. 

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