Beyel Bros Quickly Mobilizes to Assist in Bridge Repair
View the complete article here.
Stuart, FL
The Florida Department of Transportation closed the 6-lane Roosevelt Bridge in Stuart, FL on June 16, 2020 after the US Coast Guard issued a warning that the bridge was “at risk of an imminent collapse”. This led FDOT to quickly take action of examining the 24-year-old bridge, finding several areas of concern within some large cracks under the bridge, which lead to the falling debris and the immediate closures.
After investigating and testing, FDOT and local officials determined that the Northbound side of the bridge was stable and just required some minor repairs, however the Southbound side of the bridge would need to remain closed. FDOT determined that corrosion caused steel tendons in the southbound span to rupture and before plans to reopen the northbound span of the bridge, transportation officials said they wanted to shore up the southbound bridge.
After a series of meetings, Beyel Brothers mobilized an entire team of welders, riggers, foremen, crane operators and more to the jobsite. Beyel Brothers was also able to provide cranes, forklifts, multiple gantry systems, hydraulic jacks, and steel beams to get things moving. With direction from the engineers, teams from Beyel Brothers and others involved began around the clock work to shore up the bridge.
Steel beams were configured to support the bridge and allow access to safely handle the repairs. These steel beams were placed on two sets of gantry systems which have a combined lifting strength of 1600 Tons or 3.2 million lbs.
Through the immediate and thorough efforts of FDOT and local officials, and the quick response and mobilization by everyone involved, including Beyel Brothers, the northbound lanes of the Roosevelt Bridge opened on June 24, 2020 just 8 days after issues were brought to officials’ attention.
These efforts caught the attention of state Rep. Toby Overdorf who said, “I’m very pleased with the actions of DOT. They have done it both on a cautious front, as well as an expeditious front.”
