NEXT Beam Bridge Double Tee

The NEXT Beam

A superior alternative to concrete box beams, the NEXT Beam is a new product offered through a partnership between High Steel and High Concrete Group LLC.
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Bridges
Building & Industrial
Erection Services
Emergency Replacements
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Norfolk Southern Railroad Truss
King of Prussia, PA

Additional Info.
Project Team
Project Specs
Summary

High Steel's work is visible from almost every vantage point in King of Prussia, PA, thanks to this huge, 1,700-ton railroad truss. The bridge, which spans I-76, is part of PENNDOT’s $280 Million U.S. Route 202 Improvement Project, which widened five miles of Route 202 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania to six lanes.

Designed by Gannett Fleming, Inc., the $8.1 million dollar structure consists of two 240-foot long, 42-feet high truss sections. High Steel fabricated and shipped over 800 individual components for the structure. Each piece was painted with a three-coat system, which required over 3500 gallons of inorganic zinc, epoxy, and polyurethane.

The project specifications required complex fabrication of mill to bear connections at the top truss cords. Because of required fit in the field, the bottom cords were not connected to the top cords during set-up at High Steel’s yard. Therefore, accurate engineering calculations and CNC drilling were crucial to avoid project delays.

To minimize traffic disruptions along the busy interstate, general contractor Allan A. Myers, Inc. and erector Cornell & Company, Inc. chose the balanced cantilever method to erect the bridge. Half of the structure was assembled alongside the westbound lanes on four 330-ton rollers, and the other half was assembled in place alongside the eastbound lanes.

The weekend the truss was moved over the highway, traffic was reduced to one lane in each direction, and crews erected a steel support tower and a runway system in the westbound lanes to roll the truss into place using two hydraulic winches. The procedure was completed just after midnight on Sunday, October 6, 2002, and awed Monday morning commuters were amazed to see the giant structure where none had been on Friday evening.

Drive under the bridge with Google Street View