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 21, 2005:What a difference one night makes.

Early this morning, it was a bit chilly and cloudy. Here is a view looking east from the western end of the bridge. To the right is the last segment to be paved - about 50 feet long.

Walking from west to east, I first encountered the paved segment that was curing yesterday. Hmmm - something happened over night.

Yesterday, you noted (because your curious eyes were enabled - weren't they?) that the Bidwell paving machine was parked near the 9th stay cable anchor. Here you see that it has moved a bit east and is now parked near the 5th stay cable anchor. Sometime during the night, some paving action happened. Also the portable lights have been moved east a distance of about about 4 anchors.

Here the new pavement from last night is curing and if you count the anchors on the left - there are eight - close enought for highway work. Isn't mathematics wonderful? Also the wet burlap that was covering yesterday's segment has been removed and neatly folded.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

C. Frank Starmer

_