Wednesday, May 26 was an important day in the construction of the new Salmon River bridge in Salmon Arm.
If you were driving past the Salmon Arm West project construction site along Highway 1 early that morning, it was difficult to miss the several semis parked along the highway, each hauling long concrete and steel girders.
Dan Kelemen, a site supervisor with Springline Construction Services, said there were 11 of the girders in total, each being 32 metres long (104 feet) and weighing about 70,000 lbs. The girders were for the new bridge, with six being placed that day and five on Thursday. Multiple cranes were used on both sides of the river to lift the girders into place, keeping them level at all times in the process. Kelemen said it took about 22 minutes to place each one. The girders were set on rebar-enforced concrete walls built on piles, one pile for each girder, and each pile extending about 250 feet beneath the ground.
Kelemen explained transportation of the girders required significant care and attention to limit the amount of stress placed on them and keep them level.
Springline was awarded the $29.7 million contract in August 2020 for the current phase of construction that includes the four-laning of Highway 1 from 1st Avenue SW to 10th Avenue SW.
Read more: Salmon River Bridge construction to begin fall 2020
Read more: Proposed closure of part of 17th Street SW to accommodate Salmon Arm West project
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