Building the Ravenel Bridge


After all the photos I took, I've tried to arrange them in some order based on various topics I found interesting.

And a reminder from T.S. Eliot (East Coker from the Four Quartets) 

Old men ought to be explorers
Here and there does not matter
We must be still and still moving
Into another intensity
For a further union, a deeper communion
Home East Bay Ramp Last Shark Fin Closing Main Span Gap Main Span Paving Building a cable Erecting a pipe Last Stay Cable Opening Events Engineering Insights Stories of Bridge Folks Erecting Steel High Steel Staging workflow First site visit Loading The Traveler Freyssinet Birthday Bridge Art Bridge Blog Unbuilding the Grace and Pearman Bridges About me Photo_Essays

May 14, 2005
Drilling holes to anchor the base of the stay cable anchor support

Wilbur never ceases to susprise me. This afternoon when I visited the bridge, Wilbur hollered at me. Walking over, I saw that today, he was not Wilbur, the iron worker, not Wilbur the hydraulic man, not Wilbur the forklift driver, but here was Wilbur the hole driller. I had watched the High Steel guys drill and ream the bolt holes for coupling the center edge girder to the east and west span edge girders. Here, Wilbur and his coworkers were drilling holes to anchor the stay pipes. I asked how the bolts would be stabilized in these holes - and Wilbur's answer - we use red epoxy - so I made a photo of this also.

Here is Wilbur and one of his coworkers

Here is another coworker and Wilbur making holes under the footing of the stay cable support.

Here is Wilbur - and a view (right) of the stay pipe stabilizer

And here is shown the red epoxy used to bond the bolts to the concrete wall of the holes that Wilbur drilled.

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C. Frank Starmer

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