U. S. Hwy. 84 bridge over Sabine River, Week 3 or 4 of removal
The U. S. Hwy. 84 bridge over the Sabine River is being removed literally bit by bit and piece by piece.
This is exactly how project foreman Brad Wright said the bridge would come down… I just had to see it for myself. I spoke with Wright, who heads the James Construction crew removing the bridge, a couple weeks ago and he explained taking the bridge would be a slow and tedious process.
The side railings of the bridge were removed first. Then, as Brad explained, the crew started in the middle of the length bridge removing the walking side walks on the north and south side of the bridge. The concrete is being cut and then chunks I’m guessing around 4 ft. (a complete guess based on what I saw) in length are being removed and hauled away. The sidewalks are being removed first from the middle towards Logansport and then second from the middle towards Texas.
Next up, the crew will start removing the bridge decking on which vehicles traveled. If I understood correctly, this process too will begin in the middle of the length of the bridge and the crew will work its way towards Logansport and then proceed to the middle towards Joaquin. I will try to talk to Brad soon to get some more information, as he was very helpful and eager to answer any questions I had.
The entire bridge is expected to be completely removed by September or October of this year, according to Wright. That gives a pretty good idea of the tediousness of the project.