Acrow Bridge supplies permanent bridge for Keahua State Forest in Hawaii

Parsippany, N.J. — Acrow Bridge, an international bridge engineering and supply company, designed and provided a permanent bridge to Mocon Construction for vehicle and pedestrian use in the Keahua Arboretum in the Keahua State Forest in Kauai. Planted with native plants and vegetation introduced by the University of Hawaii, the Arboretum is also enjoyed for picnicking, swimming, hiking, biking and horseback riding.

The original route, a concrete roadway, had sunk over time and flooded after heavy rains. Safe passage over the Keahua Stream was not always possible in this remote but highly traveled area. The decision was made to construct a permanent bridge at the site, along with new roadway alignment and a drainage culvert with inlet and outlet.

The decision to use an Acrow structure made sense for the tight construction zone, where Acrow modular components can be installed more easily than most other styles of bridges in constrained build areas. The 110-foot-long by extra-wide single lane bridge has a coated deck and a special 1-meter-wide sidewalk that was specified by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). As with all Acrow products, the bridge will be virtually maintenance-free with a lifespan of 75 years or more.

The bridge, opened in April 2017, is owned by Hawaii DLNR. The design engineer was Kai Hawaii, Inc.

“It is gratifying that our bridge is being utilized to provide safe crossing for visitors to this amazing recreation area,” said Bill Killeen, President and CEO of Acrow Bridge. “Our maintenance-free, easily assembled steel bridges are completely USA made, with the highest quality construction standards and materials.”