The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1921-08-06
SECOND PHASE
OF NEW BRIDGE
is UNDER WAY
Contracting Company For Erec-
tion of Superstructure Has
go Men on the Job
FINISHED BY DECEMBER l.?
Despite Many Difficulties of
Erection, Bridge May BE
Passable Yet This Year
FINISHED BY DECEMBER l.?

The hum of activity on the new
Missouri river bridge job here gives :
visitor assurance that the expectation
of state and bridge engineers that the
work will be finished yet this year is
well founded
Engineers are reluctant to fix an ac.
tual time for the completion OF the
bridge because Of the many uncertain
ties entering into the work, but there
is general confidence that the steel
work viii be finished by December
An asphalt or concrete roadway is to
be built on the bridge after the. steel
work is finished and problem is
presented in making the bridge pass
able during cold weather. One men,
Der of the highway commission favors
the laying OF a plank roadway if the
asphalt or concrete roadway cannot
he built making the bridge available
for use not later than January l.
Second Phase Under Way
The second phase of the bridge
building is now well under way. The
Foundation company, contractor for
the piers and concrete approaches, is
nearing the end of it's job except for
the laying of the bridge roadway. The
piers are complete, the concrete ap-
proach on the east side is finished and
the company is working on the ap-
prOaches on the west side.
The American Bridge company, con-
tractor for the erection OF the super
structure, has great quantities of ma
terials on the ground and large force
OF expert bridge builders engaged in
the work preliminary to swinging the
steel into place. A Tribune representa-
tive, visiting the bridge site, saw ap-
prOximately 60 men engaged in the
work.
All the elements of difficult bridge
construction and some of those OF sky
scraper, erection are combined in the
job here. The topmost point on the
steele superstructure, when completed,
will be about 1875 feet above the swirl
ing waters of the Miss0uri-higher
than many ten story buildings. The
falsework which is being built directly
under the place Of suspension OF the
steel floor of the bridge and from
winch the steel beams will be swung
into place by derricks is 80 feet above
the water. The steel sides of the
bridge, between piers, will extend
about 73 feet above the floor OF the
bridge, the plans show. The steel
frame of the bridge will be the width
of the bridge roadway, 30 feet, and
projecting on both sides will be a
concrete sidewalk. The bridge is wide
enough to accommodate great traffic
and even an electric railroad in the
future.
Work From Bismarck Side
Great steel beams now are in the
bridge companys yards at the bridge
site. All of the steel is fabricated in
the American Bridge company's plant
at Gary, Indiana. Big locomotive
cranes have been shipped here from
the east to be used in swinging the
steel. All of the material is shipped to
the Bismarck side, and the work will
be from east to west, each span being
completed before the next one is start
ed.
State engineers say that about $500
tons of steel will go into the super
structure. The design of the bridge is
known as a curved-cord truss, spec
ial design by C. A. P. Turner. Each
span will be 476 feet in length, 80 feet
in width and ~ feet high at the high
est point. The heaviest piece of steel
to be swung unto place by the derrick
is about 72 feet in length, weighing
16 tons. The crew is said to be one
of the most efficient gathered for a
bridge job, and includes expert bridge
builders who have been on some OF
the largest bridge jobs in the country
and on many in foreign countries.
A Difficult Job
The Missouri river job is known to
engineers as difficult piece of erec-
ton. The heavy winds, height at which
the work must be done and the swift
current of the Missouri are difficulties
which must be contended with lin the
work. Visitors to the bridge site may
see experienced bridge workmen NOV
ing about on the top of the falseWork
with extreme caution, even crawling
at times when the wind sweeps over
the bluffs or down the path OF the
stream.
mn 1YNT nnTTN