Detour bridges will help mitigate traffic disruption in heavily traveled area and allow for continual access to boat traffic on Westchester Creek 

(Parsippany, New Jersey) – 21 May 2020 – Acrow Bridge, a leading international bridge engineering and supply company, has announced two of its temporary modular steel lift bridges are being used to allow uninterrupted vehicular and vessel passage during the replacement of the 65-year-old Unionport Bridge over Westchester Creek in the Bronx, NY. Acrow’s bridges are carrying eastbound and westbound traffic on Bruckner Boulevard and are the first hydraulically driven temporary lift bridges in the U.S.

The Unionport Bridge is heavily traveled with an approximate ADT of 50,000-60,000 vehicles and the only link between the Bruckner Expressway and Cross Bronx Expressway to the Hutchinson River Parkway and destinations north. The bridge had deteriorated and was deemed structurally deficient and in dire need of replacement. The detour lift bridges were a Value Engineering (VE) proposal by Unionport Constructors JV, owners of the bridge replacement project. The proposal allowed them to shorten the duration of the project, maintain seamless traffic throughout construction, and build the new bascule bridge all at one time instead of using a phased construction approach, resulting in a better-quality product for New York City and the traveling public.

Acrow’s detour bridges are expected to be in service for two years and vary in dimensions. The north lift bridge is 24’ wide with 60’ and 100’ approaches and a 66’ lift span. The south bridge, which is 30’ wide, has 80’ and 100’ approaches with a lift span of 90’ as well as a 5’ walkway off the south side of the entire 210’ length. The project bid took place in 2017 and Acrow started the design of the lift bridges in Spring of 2018. The north lift bridge was commissioned in October 2019 and the south lift bridge in December 2019. 

Along with Unionport Constructors JV, Hardesty and Hanover designed the overall project with JV’s guidance.

“Although there were challenges with the project that made it technically difficult during the installation stage such as an extremely congested construction site and a very small build area, we were able to successfully build, install, test and get the structures completely operational in a short period of time,” said Bob Rose, Northeast Regional Sales Manager at Acrow. “As a full-service package, Acrow designed, supplied and supervised installation of all the bridge components, all the electrical and mechanical, towers, crossheads, access platforms, walkways, control house platform, and maintenance walkways.”

Bill Killeen, Acrow CEO added, “Acrow’s solid expertise in creating engineering solutions for even the most challenging situations has helped regions around the world in getting projects completed safely and in a timely manner. Acrow structures have played important roles in supporting contractors and government agencies alike, when it’s critical that projects stay on or ahead of schedule and within budget.”

About Acrow Bridge

Acrow Bridge has been serving the transportation and construction industries for more than 60 years with a full line of modular steel bridging solutions for vehicle, rail, military and pedestrian use. Acrow’s extensive international presence includes its leadership in the development and implementation of bridge infrastructure projects in over 80 countries, covering Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, please visit www.acrow.com.