Setting Steel: Girder Installation at the Brewerton Bridge
Six 82-foot steel girders. One major Route 11 bridge replacement. See how Trimble Services supported Economy Paving with heavy-lift crane operations to keep the project moving on schedule.
Quick Project Facts
Location: Brewerton Bridge | Route 11
Client: Economy Paving
🏗 Services: Crane rental for steel girder installation
Equipment: Terex-Demag AC 250-1
Project Partners: Economy Paving
Completion: Aug 24-26
A Major Milestone on Route 11
Trimble Services recently supported Economy Paving during the replacement of the Brewerton Bridge on Route 11, providing heavy-lift crane support for the installation of six structural steel girders.
Each girder measured approximately 82 feet long and weighed 25,000 pounds. Trimble mobilized its Terex-Demag AC 250-1 with full counterweight to the project, with five additional support trucks required to transport the components necessary for the crane setup. Once assembled and ready for operation, work began immediately.
For Trimble, the project represented something more than another successful crane operation. While our team has supported numerous heavy-highway projects involving precast components, the Brewerton Bridge provided our first opportunity to support structural steel girder installation on a major heavy-highway project.
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The Weight Is Only Part of the Lift
A 25,000-pound girder doesn’t require a 300-ton-class crane simply because of its weight.
Crane selection also depends on factors including working radius, boom configuration, rigging weight, setup conditions and the capacity available at the required radius. On the Brewerton Bridge project, the crane operated with 142 feet of boom and reached a maximum working radius of approximately 90 feet.
Precision Across an 82-Foot Load
The challenge wasn’t an unexpected site condition—it was maintaining control and alignment while handling long structural steel components.
Each 82-foot girder needed to be lifted from its specialized transport trailer, suspended, prepared with its associated diaphragms and positioned onto abutments with an offset that had to be accounted for during the lift.
That meant the rigging configuration needed to provide more than lifting capacity. It also needed to give the crews the ability to adjust the orientation of the suspended girder for final placement.
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A Site Ready for the Lift
Economy Paving managed the site logistics and provided ample working space for Trimble’s crane operation. The Terex-Demag was positioned on the bridge approach and remained in the same setup throughout the girder installation.
Girder deliveries were coordinated by Economy, with six trucks bringing the steel to the site. Each specialized trailer was able to pull alongside the crane, allowing Trimble to pick the girder directly from the transport.
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Rigged for Adjustment
Economy outfitted the crane with a spreader bar and beam clamps for the girder picks. One end of the spreader-bar arrangement incorporated a chain fall, providing the adjustment needed to match the offset at the abutments.
With each delivery positioned alongside the crane, the girder was lifted from its specialized trailer and suspended while Economy’s team installed the associated diaphragms. Once that work was complete, the girder was hoisted and carefully positioned into its final location.
Throughout the operation, Economy Paving remained the project lead, with its team coordinating the work and providing signaling directly to Trimble’s crane operator.
Terex-Demag AC 250-1
For this project, the Terex-Demag AC 250-1 was mobilized with full counterweight and 142 feet of boom, operating at working radii reaching approximately 90 feet.
Getting a crane of this class to work is a project in itself. In addition to the crane, five support trucks were required to transport the components needed for assembly and operation. Once established on the bridge approach, however, the crane remained stationary throughout the girder-setting operation.
Economy Paving initially identified the crane for the project using the load chart available on the Trimble Services’ website.
Two Days. Six Girders. Right on Schedule.
The project was scheduled for two days of girder-setting operations, and that’s exactly what it took. Six structural steel girders and their associated diaphragms were successfully set, with no significant field adjustments required and the operation remaining on schedule.
For Trimble, there was also something special about being part of this particular project. The Brewerton Bridge carries Route 11 through a heavily traveled corridor running parallel to Interstate 81, making the bridge replacement one of the area’s highly visible infrastructure projects.
We’re proud to have received the call from Economy Paving and to have had the opportunity to contribute to the project. Building on our experience supporting heavy-highway precast work, the Brewerton Bridge marks another step forward for Trimble Services—this time, setting steel.
A VIEW FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Our crew may have only had a couple of photos from the ground, but our neighbors at Rosie’s Corner have had quite the view. The family-owned Brewerton pizza shop has been capturing some incredible aerial photos of the bridge replacement—including a few great shots of our Terex-Demag at work.
Head over to Rosie’s Corner on Facebook to follow along and see more of the project from above.