Acrow Bridge Supports Major Estuary Repair Project in Massachusetts

Modular steel structure providing detour in Wellfleet during the restoration of the Herring River

Parsippany, New Jersey – Acrow, a leading international bridge engineering and supply company, noted today one of its modular steel structures has been installed in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, to provide access during the Herring River Restoration Project. Decades in the planning and Massachusetts’ largest-ever estuary repair, the goal of the project is to restore the full natural tidal range across hundreds of acres of the flood plain.

When an earthen dike was constructed on Chequessett Neck at the mouth of the Herring River in 1909, in part to drain the wetlands for mosquito control, tidal flows became obstructed. Over the course of many years, this transformed the salt and freshwater mix of the once-thriving estuary into a completely freshwater environment, resulting in degradation of the ecosystem. This led to fish kills, the disappearance of saltwater plants, and a rise in bacterial concentration in the water which significantly damaged the local shell fishing industry. 

As the initial phase of the yearslong project, the dike will be replaced with a bridge with tide gates spanning its length to allow a controlled reintroduction of tidal salt water into the river from Wellfleet Harbor. This will lead to a gradual return of marsh vegetation, improving the habitat for fish and wildlife, and enabling herring to once again spawn in the watershed’s ponds. Because the road above the dike provides the only access for some town residents and is used by first responders, a safe and reliable detour route was needed for the duration of the construction.

The single-lane Acrow 700XS^® solution chosen for the project consists of four spans and has a total length of 320 feet. The curb-to-curb width of the structure is 13.6 feet with a 5-foot pedestrian footwalk cantilevered on one side of the bridge. The bridge has TL-3 guide rails with 2” asphalt overlay on the deck and was designed to AASTHO HL-93.

The bridge was rented to project contractor MIG Corporation and assembled and installed by Atlantic Bridge & Engineering, Inc. and will remain in service through the completion of the new permanent structure, now anticipated to be 2025.

“We are pleased to have been selected to take part in this unique and important project,” said Nick Rotondo, Acrow’s Business Development Manager for the New England Region. “Our bridges are versatile, safe and cost-effective detour options that ensure traffic disruption is minimized, and the safety of motorists and construction workers is maintained.”

“Acrow’s portfolio of bridging systems are well-suited for a wide range of applications,” added Eugene Sobecki, Director National Sales & Military Business Development “When viable detour routes are unavailable, state DOTs and contractors are increasingly choosing our reliable, fixed-cost solutions to keep projects on or ahead of schedule.”

About Acrow

Acrow has been serving the transportation and construction industries for more than 70 years with a wide range of modular steel bridging solutions for permanent, temporary, military and emergency use. Acrow’s extensive international presence includes leadership in the development and implementation of bridge infrastructure projects in over 150 countries across Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, please visit www.acrow.com.