Detour Solutions Keep Traffic Moving During Bridge Construction in Massachusetts

Despite interim repair, two pairs of 1960s-era functionally obsolete, structurally deficient bridges on Interstate 91 in Northampton, Massachusetts needed replacement. Because the route is so heavily traveled, the contractor purchased two modular bridges from Acrow to serve as detours during the multi-year project, with a single Acrow structure installed in the median at each of the two locations to carry one direction of traffic. The Acrow bridge over Route 5 and the tracks of the B&M Railroad was 500 feet long in five spans and supported on eight Acrow towers ranging from 29 feet to 38 feet in height. The second Acrow bridge, over Hockanum Road, was a 140-foot-long clear span. Both bridges were 30 feet wide between curbs with asphalt overlay deck surfaces. Each structure had a TL-4 guide rail system and a live load of two lanes of HL-93. Northbound traffic was shifted to the Acrow bridges ahead of construction of the two permanent northbound structures. When that phase was completed, southbound traffic was rerouted over Acrow’s bridges during construction of the permanent southbound structures. The temporary bridges were in use at the location for about 18 months.

For more information, please visit www.acrow.com.