Okeefe Family Website |
Construction of the New Sunset Beach, NC, Bridge
Jo O'Keefe Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved
English Construction Company, Inc., Lynchburg, Virginia
Page 12
September 23,
2010
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
End of new bridge
on the island side. The bridge itself ends where the upper railing ends
on the right near the crane.
|
Section of the
bridge to and from the mainland
|
![]() |
![]() |
Eastward waterway
view
|
Westward waterway
view
|
![]() |
![]() |
Bolts on left
are for metal braces such as the ones on the right to which guard rails
will be attached.
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
Next to the guard
rail brace, evenly spaced conduits allow for installation of lighting
if needed in the future
|
One of many splits
on decking of bridge allowing for contraction and expansion during cold
and heat. Each side of the split has an elasomeric concrete. The material
is not prone to flaking or cracking. A evazote joint material will be
glued in the opening to make it water tight.
|
![]() |
![]() |
Drains are evenly
spaced the length of the bridge deck at its west edge. Stormwater run-off
passing through each of them will enter a wide collection pipe under
the bridge and then flow into the nearest infiltration basin.
|
The collection
pipe into which stormwater run-off from the deck flows on its way to
the infiltration basins
|
![]() |
![]() |
Workers on a barge
along side a crane connecting chains from the crane to a pile of lumber
during removal of material used to make the new bridge
|
The pile of lumber
being lifted upward and over to a truck.
|
![]() |
|
A large piece
of paving equipment followed traffic from the island side of the bridge
to the mainland. During the weeks after the new bridge opens to traffic,
workers will tear down the causeway and work bridge and transport many
loads of debris across the old pontoon bridge.
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
Men working on
pavement at the island end of the bridge. The large pipe carrying stormwater
run-off is on the left. The first few inches of run-off during rainfall
go into the infiltration basin on the right. The contaminants are in
the first run-off. In the event of heavy rainfall, additional run-off,
free of sediments, is discharged into the marsh. The left forefront
of the photo shows an area from which a portion of the old causeway
has been removed to allow more marsh to develop.
|
Close-up photos
of portion of infiltration basin west of end of actual bridge on island
side. Pollutants such as bacteria-laden exhaust, rubber, gas and oil
emissions will be filtered out of water in this basin before the water
seeps into the Big Narrows. The basin is located on an old fill section
that has been in place since the causeway was first built.
|
![]() |
![]() |
The left photo
shows the enormity of the new Sunset Beach Bridge and the relative fragility
of the pontoon bridge. In the background of each photo the mainland
ramp of the new bridge, 2,563-feet long, reaches Sunset Boulevard. Orange
cones mark the spot. The old bridge, 508-feet long, reaches from traffic
signal to traffic signal. The remainder is causeway.
|