The AIL Group of Companies was very excited to be a partner in an urgent mine site infrastructure project to replace a 197-foot span steel girder bridge that had been damaged during severe “once-in-500-year” flooding. The bridge replacement needed to take place within a 12-month window and, thanks to the concerted efforts of all project partners, it was up and running within eight months (six months from awarding of contract). Here’s how quickly it rolled out.

View Time-Lapse Video, 3:20 min >

April 2009 – Scoping, Proposals


We were initially contacted by Consulting Engineers, BG&E, in early April, investigating the possibility of using Super•Cor^®Arches for this project. We had worked with BG&E on several projects over the last four years. BG&E were, in-turn working for Calibre Engenium, Project Managers of the bridge replacement for a large Australian mining company. Whatever design solution was to be chosen, it had to be completed by December 1. After various options were looked at, twin Super•Cor^® SC74 Arch Structures were chosen for the proposal due to very favorable cost, completion time and performance / maintenance factors. The 87-foot-long Arches had a span of 65.6 feet, a rise of 32.8 feet and were spaced 13 feet apart.

Late June 2009 – Project Awarded

After commercial negotiations took place, an order was placed in late June. Delivery of required Super•Cor^® product was by late August or early September – about eight weeks to get to site including trial erection. According to Tony Douglass, Project Manager, at Calibre Engenium, we were awarded the project primarily due to our engineering and design ability, the professionalism of our team, and our local manufacturing expertise. These “ticks in the boxes” gave Calibre and their customer added confidence that the project would be done on time and on budget. At this point, the Stabilized Earth Wall hadn’t been ordered, as the final design was not complete.

July, August, 2009 – Manufacture Super•Cor^®, Prepare Site

Detailed design and manufacturing of Super•Cor^® components at our facility and site preparation by the contractor occurred during this window. To keep the rail line on the damaged span bridge open, Calibre had to put an earth embankment across the river and with five 7.8-foot-diameter pipes to handle flow during the dry season. The Principal Contractor NRW, due to rock, encountered early civil problems on site. This made footing locations more difficult and the project fell slightly behind schedule. With a very tight timeline, even one week behind was critical. Wall design and commercials went well into July and the order was placed on July 24 for a mid-September delivery. As an extra to the Wire Wall, Calibre required a steel face to be put at the base of the wall for added protection against major impacts due to debris etc. We came up with a structural plate fascia for both sides.

September, 2009 – Construct Super•Cor^® Arches

Super•Cor^® plates and base channels arrived to site on time. Fortunately for all concerned, Calibre followed Atlantic Civil Products’ suggestion and used a dedicated plate erection company, APE Erections. Andy Reilly, founder and co-owner of APE Erections, took the bull by the horns and built both structures in less than three weeks, including grouting the ribs. This brought the project back on schedule.

October, November, 2009 – Walls, Engineered Backfill, Railway Construction

Wall panels arrived on site, mid September on schedule. An AIL Group Technical Sales Representative was on site for the duration of the wall erection to ensure all went well. NRW, even worked around the clock toward the end to ensure the wall was in place and the rail formation complete and on schedule to the day. Track laying crews connected the line on schedule and the first loaded train went across on time.

December 1, 2009 – Project Completed

If a conventional bridge had been chosen instead of the Super•Cor^® structures, the estimated completion time was April, 2010.

More on Super•Cor^® >

More on Stabilized Earth Walls >

A 125-foot Big R Pedestrian Bridge was recently installed as part of an intermodal project in Montgomery, AL, connecting a new intermodal facility's parking deck to the downtown Riverwalk area via a five-level observation tower. On installation day, the 52,700-pound bridge required not only a crane, but also a bit of extra patience. Workers had to wait on three trains to pass before the train traffic could be stopped long enough for the bridge to be lifted and carefully eased into place. Stopping train traffic, even briefly, is a significant problem on tracks that see about 70 trains on a typical day. Fortunately, Big R Bridges install quickly and easily with minimal traffic disruption.

But, unforeseen delays can be a fact of life in construction. When the overall project first started in 2007, work was delayed when crews found massive rocks underground that were 20 to 40 feet in diameter. Officials believe that the rocks were placed there in 19th century to keep the Alabama River from eroding the shoreline. Additional time was required to drive foundation pilings as deep as 70' into the ground.

The Bowstring Truss bridge was shipped in two sections and installed with minimal interruption to the train traffic. Due to the reach required to set the bridge a 500-ton crane was used to set the bridge. The 7'8"-wide bridge has a concrete deck and is painted brown with our three-paint system. We also installed four conduits under the bridge and an extensive conduit system inside the truss for an elaborate light system which included linear LED lights and light fixtures. The entire project, including the construction of the parking deck and bus station, cost $17 million. The construction of the tower, including the bridge, was $3.7 million of that.

The contractor on the project was Stalling & Sons, Inc., of Montgomery.

More on Big R Pedestrian and Trail Bridges →

Big R Bridge recently installed a multi-use bridge in Contra Costa County, CA, to provide access to Fernandez Ranch, a 702-acre protected area West of the Golden Gate Bridge owned by The Muir Heritage Land Trust. With generous support provided by a wide variety of state agencies, private foundations, corporate sponsors, individual contributors and the herculean efforts of an army of volunteers, the installation of the Big R Bridge was a defining moment in the culmination of a 20-year epic journey of land acquisition and planning.

As the 156 foot clear span steel bridge was hoisted into mid-air and finally set across Rodeo Creek, I found myself filled with a profound sense of hope and gratitude.

—Linus Eukel, Executive Director Muir Heritage Land Trust

Dramatic erosion had cut a deep channel along the creek, stripped its banks of vegetation and toppled trees. After much study, planners concluded that changes to Rodeo Creek on a property upstream had changed its hydrology, disrupting creek ecology. Not only did 2,500' sections of the banks need stabilizing, a wide-span bridge was needed to reach across the widening chasm and provide access for pedestrians, cyclists, horseback riders and safety vehicles. Enter Big R Bridge.

Working with Project Engineer, Ken Burgess at C. Overaa & Co., in Richmond, CA, and Bob Birkeland, Senior Landscape Architect at RDG, LLC, Big R proposed an elegant Bowstring Truss design, with a naturally-weathering steel finish and a 12' wide cast-in-place concrete deck. This bridge design offered a clear span without the need for support piers that might impact the creek.

In keeping with the natural beauty and architectural features of the area, weathering steel develops a vibrant patina that gives a rustic appearance over time. And, since weathering steel does not need to be painted, it saves the Trust future maintenance dollars and it saves the environment from impacts related to the manufacture and future removal of volatile organic compounds from oil-based coatings.

Big R Bridge has become one of the leading pedestrian bridge fabricators in the United States. Our pedestrian bridges have been installed from coast to coast. We have provided bridges for golf courses, resorts, private developers, national parks, national forests, industrial walkways and on state department of transportation projects.

• More on Big R Pedestrian and Trail Bridges >
• More on Muir Heritage Land Trust >

Randy Gaskill was honored for his years of service during our Western Regional Sales Meeting this January. Mr. Gaskill was presented with a 35 years of service award as well as being awarded the Salesperson of the Year.

Randy started working at the company on October 21, 1974. He's been a key part of the success and growth of the company, and is dedication and hard work have been an example for everyone in the organization.

Randy (left) is shown below with the president of Big R Bridge, Kenzie MacPherson.

When an architect on a long-span pedestrian bridge project insisted that an arch bridge design be glazed all the way up the arch structure, it got Joe Meheen thinking outside of the box again. Meheen — veteran Denver engineer, multiple patent holder and lifetime friend of the bridge industry — knew the glazing cost, alone, would be formidable. The result of his brainstorming let him keep the desired aesthetics of the arch system but reduce the enclosed portion to the lower truss area only, in a revolutionary, structural hybrid design called The Tunable Bridge from Big R Bridge.

Lightweight, low-cost, easy-to-install, and very attractive, The Tunable Bridge is short on costs, long on possibilities, and, with clear spans of up to 400 feet, is expected to take modular steel bridges to a whole new dimension – especially in light rail and transit applications over major transportation corridors. Its unique design combines the inherent benefits of a hinged tied arch system with those of a standard steel truss system. The structures’ natural frequencies can then be can balanced or “tuned” like a finely-tuned instrument. Here’s how it works.

The steel truss system is designed to support all of the structure’s dead load, plus a small uniform construction load. Longitudinal, tightening rods in the trusses’ lower chords pre-stress the truss modules for dead load before installation. The steel trusses are installed just like standard modular bridges, spanning from abutment-to-abutment or pier-to-pier.

Once all of the dead loads are applied to the steel truss system, the hinged tied-arch modules are installed and attached to the steel truss system. This attachment is via a system of adjustable tension hanger rods between the arches and the steel trusses, along with longitudinal equalizing tension members across the bottom chords of the steel trusses. Adjustments to the hangers and the longitudinal members, allow for “tuning” the structure such that the live and dead loads are balanced between the arch and the steel truss systems. Tightening nuts that are attached to the rods make the adjustment.

With no critical members, this redundant stress sharing increases safety and allows for lighter-scale and lighter-weight structures using less steel. This opens the door for longer, more graceful modular bridges that cost less to manufacture and are easier to install. The modular components of Big R’s Tunable Bridge install quickly — a key consideration for applications over high-traffic thoroughfares or difficult terrain, where long spans and quick installations are required.

The Tunable Bridge design also accommodates the added weight of covered or enclosed areas, reducing winter maintenance costs for their owners and increasing comfort and convenience for their users. Typical of Meheen, are a number of added features. The top and bottom flanges of the truss members are u-shaped to act as rain gutters, so additional gutters are not needed — further reducing weight and cost. Plus, the design has all pins and connectors visible for easy inspections.

More on The Tunable Bridge

• Play Flash Animation

Pre-engineered and pre-fabricated Modular Steel Bridges from Big R Bridge have always been known for their speed of delivery and installation. Now, they are part of the Utah Department of Transportation’s Accelerated Bridge Construction Program (ABC) – the future of bridge construction in the State. Utah’s ABC Program has been created to decrease impact on the traveling public, increase the quality of the State’s bridges, and increase safety. The ABC Program is already widely implemented in Utah and set to be the State’s standard for all projects by 2010.

Under the ABC Program, this Big R Modular Steel Bridge, on a secondary road to the Rockport Reservoir, in Summit County, was designed and pre-engineered by Big R Bridge and then pre-fabricated at our Greeley, CO facility. Big R’s standard 4 ¼" galvanized steel structural decking was used and finished with an asphalt overlay. In concert with their work in the ABC Program, Big R has also developed a system of precast concrete decking as a speedier solution.

Big R Bridge manufactures modular sections that allow for rapid installation in the field. These bridges are ideal for public works applications, as local crews using on-hand equipment can typically place the superstructure in one day. Superstructures can be fabricated with both square and skewed ends to suit any site conditions. Spans from 16' to over 150' are available in any width.

Choosing a cost-effective infrastructure solution from Big R Bridge – whether within an ABC program or not – helps to avoid the expense and hassle of concrete and lengthy road closures. Big R Bridge’s engineering teams have years of experience designing site-specific, pre-engineered solutions that save time and money. Discover the Big R Bridge difference.

• Nationwide custom bridge provider
• Broad range of bridge products and services
• Wider spans offer more economical, environmentally-friendly designs
• Pre-engineered, pre-fabricated structures install fast for reduced road closure time
• More on Big R’s Vehicular Bridges

Known for offering the largest ski-in-ski-out home sites in North America, The Colony at White Pine Canyons has set a new standard in mountain living and Big R Bridge is an integral part of it. Nestled in the alpine setting of The Canyons ski resort, in Park City, UT, it is also home to over 40 Modular Steel Bridges that we have designed and fabricated to fit in just perfectly.

In keeping with the natural beauty and architectural features of the resort, the naturally weathering steel of bridge structures and the black steel of the supporting MSE Welded Wire Walls develop a vibrant patina that gives a rustic appearance. And, since weathering steel does not need to be painted, it saves the resort future maintenance dollars and it save the environment from impacts related to the manufacture and future removal of volatile organic compounds from oil-based coatings.

And speaking of savings, these economical bridges are shipped in modular sections, so they can be installed in a fraction of the time needed for most traditional bridge systems. Small, non-specialized crews often install them within a day.

Partners in the multi-year development were consulting engineers, Psomas Engineering, and contractor, Ames Construction.

• The Colony at White Pine Canyon
• PSOMAS Engineering
• Ames Contstruction, Inc.