Rapid design, delivery and installation of structure enabled an expedited restoration of railway freight service within the region

(Parsippany, New Jersey) – 03 September 2019 – Acrow Bridge, a leading international bridge engineering and supply company, noted today one of its modular steel bridges was installed recently in Rock Port, Missouri to restore passage after severe flooding earlier in the year damaged the existing structure, which was subsequently closed. It was particularly critical the route be restored as quickly as possible as it is the only access for BNSF Railway crews to service flood-damaged equipment and resume full freight service within the region.

The overwhelming flooding in the Midwestern U.S. beginning in early March 2019 caused a number of deaths and devastating long-term damage across numerous states. Over the course of the winter, the region experienced particularly heavy snowfall. Extreme warming in mid-March combined with heavy rain rapidly melted massive amounts snow, producing extensive runoff across frozen terrain into waterways, which led to dam and levee failures and catastrophic infrastructure damage.

In Rock Port, it was the flooding of the Nishnabotna River, a tributary of the Missouri River, which caused severe scour underneath the existing bridge on U.S. Highway 136. In order to most quickly restore safe passage, it was decided to “overbridge” or slide a longer Acrow  bridge inside the damaged structure in order to remove stress from it. While the existing bridge is 150’ long, Acrow’s structure is 190’ long with a width of 30’ and HS-20 loading.

Although the project came with a particularly tight delivery and erection requirement, Acrow was able to meet the deadline—the structure was opened to traffic eight days after receipt of the order, despite inclement weather. Acrow’s bridge is expected to be in use for three months while BNSF Railway completes repairs in the immediate area.

After obtaining consent from the Missouri Department of Transportation, the bridge was rented by BNSF through railroad services and short line operating company R.J. Corman Railroad Group and installed by Ames Construction.

“Acrow is proud to have provided a solution that assisted in this project to alleviate some of the integral freight transportation interruptions and delays caused by the floods,” said Jeff Simkins, Midwest Regional Manager at Acrow. Eugene Sobecki, Acrow’s Director – National Sales and Military Business Development, added, “The entire Acrow team is to be commended for the terrific efforts put forth to make this project a success within an extremely narrow time frame.”

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.

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