Aroostook River Bridge
This $18.5±M, 5 span continuous, 4 lane, 365 m long steel girder bridge was part of the Longs Creek – Grand Falls Trans Canada Highway project constructed by Brunway Group in 2005 – 07. The 4 lane structure was constructed with 80 m spans over the water along with 65 m and 60 m back spans over land.
The Aroostook River at the crossing site is a wide, shallow, boulder strewn, rapidly flowing stream, bounded by high steeply sloping wooded river banks. By using long span steel plate girders and combining the east bound and west bound lanes on a common foundation, only one pier was required to be constructed within the environmentally sensitive water course.
The bridge girders were constructed using unpainted, weathering steel protected from spray and bridge deck run off by a waterproof membrane and concrete deck slab cantilevering well beyond the bridge’s steel spandrel girders.
The use of expansion joints was minimized with only two finger plate expansion joints located at the bridge abutments. Pot bearing assemblies were used to support the bridge superstructure.
Substantial quantities of large riprap and heavy geotechnical fabric were used to prevent erosion in the vicinity of pier foundations. Above the maximum river flood level, geotextile fabric and rock fill slope protection were used to control erosion of bridge approach fills.
This $18.5±M, 5 span continuous, 4 lane, 365 m long steel girder bridge was part of the Longs Creek – Grand Falls Trans Canada Highway project constructed by Brunway Group in 2005 – 07. The 4 lane structure was constructed with 80 m spans over the water along with 65 m and 60 m back spans over land.
The Aroostook River at the crossing site is a wide, shallow, boulder strewn, rapidly flowing stream, bounded by high steeply sloping wooded river banks. By using long span steel plate girders and combining the east bound and west bound lanes on a common foundation, only one pier was required to be constructed within the environmentally sensitive water course.
The bridge girders were constructed using unpainted, weathering steel protected from spray and bridge deck run off by a waterproof membrane and concrete deck slab cantilevering well beyond the bridge’s steel spandrel girders.
The use of expansion joints was minimized with only two finger plate expansion joints located at the bridge abutments. Pot bearing assemblies were used to support the bridge superstructure.
Substantial quantities of large riprap and heavy geotechnical fabric were used to prevent erosion in the vicinity of pier foundations. Above the maximum river flood level, geotextile fabric and rock fill slope protection were used to control erosion of bridge approach fills.