Acrow Bridge Permits Uninterrupted Traffic Flow During Highway Construction in Colorado

Modular steel structure minimizes travel disruptions for locals and tourists in Delta County

Acrow, a leading international bridge engineering and supply company, announced today one of its modular steel bridges has been installed to provide temporary access for motorists during the replacement of a historic structure spanning the Gunnison River on State Highway 92 just east of the City of Delta, Colorado.

The existing bridge was a three-span steel camelback pony truss built in 1938. As traffic increased over the years, the structure had become inadequate to safely handle the volume or weight of vehicles and had a Federal Highway Administration sufficiency rating of 27 out of 100. In addition, it had numerous structural deficiencies and required constant maintenance. With a full rehabilitation of the bridge prohibitively expensive, a replacement was considered the best option. To reduce inconvenience to motorists during the anticipated yearlong project, contractor Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction rented a modular steel structure from Acrow to serve as a detour for local traffic and the many visitors to the heavily-touristed region.

Acrow’s clear span bridge is 250 feet long with a roadway width of 30 feet. It was designed to AASHTO HL-93 load specifications to accommodate truck traffic and has an anti-skid aggregate epoxy road surface. Despite the particularly long length of the span, the bridge was installed without problem utilizing a full cantilever launch.

“Acrow’s modular steel detour bridges are a proven solution for mitigating the road user impacts of construction projects,” said Eugene Sobecki, Director National Sales & Military Business Development at Acrow. “Available for rent or purchase, our durable steel structures provide contractors and project owners a cost-effective way to increase site safety and keep projects on or ahead of schedule.”

“Rapidly installed in days, Acrow’s detour solutions offer numerous benefits to traditional ‘phased’ bridge construction,” added Bill Killeen, Acrow CEO. “Valued for ease of assembly, erection, and disassembly, our economical detour solutions can help ensure infrastructure improvement projects are delivered quickly and safely.”