Latest News
Aluminum Bridge Deck Design Solutions to Meet Current Challenges Faced by State DOT’s
Sandisfield, MA — An aluminum bridge deck installed in 30 minutes recently in Massachusetts by AlumaBridge LLC may herald a solution for many of the country’s estimated 130,000 bridges in dire need of repair.
Using advanced technology to manufacture lightweight aluminum structures – that are then lifted into place by crane – transportation officials in Massachusetts replaced a 1950 bridge with a lighter and quicker-to-install substitute.
“The Accelerated Bridge Construction technology that is available today could signal a solution to the nation’s many aging bridges,” said Greg Osberg, president and CEO of AlumaBridge, LLC. “AlumaBridge aluminum bridge decking provides transportation officials with a rapid bridge rehabilitation tool that is more efficient and sustainable. Aluminum extrusion – which allows for large pieces of lightweight aluminum to be manufactured as prefabricated deck panels – offers a faster and more cost-effective solution.”
To replace the bridge in Sandisfield, MA, AlumaBridge created a lightweight aluminum deck that was pre-attached to the steel superstructure and lifted into place by crane in one piece. The use of prefabricated panels, which are one-fifth the weight of concrete, dramatically reduced the dead load, or overall weight of the structure, enabling the installation to be completed in record time.
A time-elapsed video capturing the installation process is available here.
A bridge is classified as “fracture critical” if it has at least one supporting element whose failure would result in the collapse of the bridge. More than 60,000 bridges in the U.S. are structurally deficient and another 70,000 are functionally obsolete, representing an urgent need for repairs on a massive scale.
Aluminum decking is about 75 percent more lightweight and sustainable than decking with steel and concrete. Unlike temporary bridges, once an aluminum deck is in place, it serves as a permanent structure. For older bridges, the use of aluminum decking permits roadways to be widened since the materials weigh less.
The Sandisfield bridge is an excellent example of the many benefits of aluminum bridge decking.
AlumaBridge Aluminum Deck Panels Installed on Marine Parkway Bridge – NYC
NYC – Initial AlumaBridge Aluminum Deck Panels have been installed on the Marine Parkway Bridge in New York City. AlumaBridge, LLC supplies deck panels complete with a skid-resistant surface.
When it was built in 1937, the bridge’s vertical lift span was the longest in the world for vehicular traffic and remains the longest in North America today.
Read More
Introducing Factory Flooring by AlumaBridge
Aluminum Bridge Decking Provides New Solution for Elevated Industrial Flooring
Ann Arbor, MI – AlumaBridge Aluminum Decking isn’t just for vehicular bridges. It’s the perfect replacement for deteriorating factory floors and new industrial applications that require very high load
Read More
AlumaBridge Aluminum Decking Installed in Reconstruction of Browns Park Bridge in Colorado
Moffat County, CO – AlumaBridge Aluminum Decking and support beams have been installed on the Browns Park Bridge. The project presented unique challenges in that the bridge is a swinging bridge spanning a lengthy 320 feet. As with most bridge rehabilitations, deck weight is critical. AlumaBridge lightweight
Read More
Florida DOT Testing Successfully Completed
The Florida DOT has successfully completed testing of AlumaBridge Aluminum Decking. The evaluation included detailed inspection, structural testing, heavy vehicle simulation, and wearing surface tests. Lightweight aluminum deck panels were subjected to 600,000 passes using the heavy vehicle simulator at the FDOT State Materials Office. According to the final report, the weld detail for the test specimen can be considered to be within the infinite fatigue life stress limit.
Read More
AlumaBridge Completes Fabrication of Aluminum Bridge Deck Ministry of Transportation – Quebec
Ann Arbor, MI – AlumaBridge, LLC of Ann Arbor, MI has completed the successful fabrication of an aluminum bridge deck for the St. Ambroise River Bridge in Quebec, Canada. Two large panels, each measuring 32.9’ (10040 mm) x 12.3’ (3750 mm) x 8.0” (203.2 mm) deep, were required. The
Read More
AlumaBridge has Fabricated and Shipped 5″ Deep Aluminum Bridge Decking to the Florida Department of Transportation.
Read More