Oversized Load: Final beams for Fern Hollow Bridge start arriving at construction site
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It's quite a sight Thursday in Regent Square as the final beams for the new Fern Hollow Bridge arrive at the construction site.
It's a spectacle that brought out onlookers and major feat of logistics that also impacted traffic.
Watch the arrival here >>
What the crews from PennStress, which made the beams, are doing, is nothing short of amazing. The beams came down the Parkway East from Murrysville, "oversized load" signs on the tractor trailer.
As well choreographed as a Broadway musical, the construction steps that have been taken in the last week have made incredible progress since the final beams were delivered on the Squirrel Hill side of the bridge.
Greg Gorman, the president of PennStress, says that getting the first 14 beams down some of the area's busiest roads was interesting, adding that some of the roads and structures in Pennsylvania make for a challenge.
Gorman said that bringing the rest of the beams down the Parkway East was an easy task -- until they get to the Edgewood/Swissvale area.
"If we were to come off the exit on to South Braddock, we cannot make that right turn because of the length of our loads are a total length of 218 feet," said Bart Wilson, the Transportation Manager for PennStress.
As a result, PennStress will "MacGyver" the situation.
"We will then be overshooting South Braddock Avenue and backing down the 376 Westbound ramp and that'll put us backing up the entire way to Forbes Avenue up South Braddock," Wilson said.
In order to do that, South Braddock Avenue closed to all traffic while they made that move. It took around 15 minutes per beam.
PennStress figured out a special way of maneuvering the beams.
"We have a remote control that somebody will be on the back side. They will be behind the equipment, steering the back end," Wilson said.
A utility pole even needed to be moved so that the crew could make a turn.
The beams arrived to the Edgewood/Swissvale area just after 10 a.m. They're going to do it all over again Friday with two more beams being delivered.
Two more will be delivered on Monday and the final beam will back its way to the bridge on Tuesday -- all part of the plan to get the bridge finished and opened before the end of the year.
