Meeting tolerance limits of one thousandth of an inch would pose a challenge on any construction project. But when the job is in an active shipping channel, where crews often work from barges, the task is particularly daunting.
Spanning 1,000 ft and positioned 60 ft above the surface of the Taunton River between Fall River and Somerset, Mass., the Brightman Street Bascule Bridge replacement, opened last November, is one of the world's longest of its kind. All components of the four-leaf bascule design had to line up perfectly. In addition, the bridge sits on a skew to accommodate optimal roadway and navigation channel alignment.