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SafespanTM:
Multi-Span Bridge Decking and Shielding
The Need
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Contractors in bridge
rehabilitation have been experiencing risks and difficulties associated with their line of
work: safety and inspection issues, environmental concerns, business interruption,
emergency situations, and rising labor costs.
Traditional timber and conventional platform are labor intensive in erecting, and have
limited shielding abilities and limited access to the bottom flanges, steel beams, bridge
bearings, and concrete piers. More efficient, safer, and economical options of providing
access and work spaces in bridge rehabilitation are needed. |
Safespan covered 114,000 sq. ft. in one phase
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The Technology
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Safespan Multi-Span Bridge Platform
System was developed by James Frangos and Lambros Apostolopoulos in 1995 to alleviate the
obstacles found in bridge rehabilitation. The system designs are flexible. It uses various
methods to connect the platform to the structure, depending on the bridge's configuration,
that allow contractors to adjust the platform's height for a desired working clearance.
This method enables contractors to solve the limited traffic under-clearance constraints
unique to their project. Safespan's patented
cable-suspended platform provides a stable working surface. The platform is supported on
cables fastened in equal intervals to the bridge's structural members. Then, steel decking
specially configured for the project's scope and weight requirements is attached to the
cables, using Safespan's custom-fabricated fasteners.
Safespan's decking provides secure shielding, supporting
loads up to 200 psf (976.4kg/m2). It completely shields the area under the
project from demolition debris and other hazards.
Side tarps create a full enclosure. This arrangement not only
contains dust and debris to meet environmental regulations, but also protects crews and
equipment from inclement weather, allowing work to continue in otherwise adverse
conditions. It enables maximum air flow for ventilation, heating and cooling.
Safespan essentially brings bridge projects to the ground,
allowing numerous spans to be accessed simultaneously. This feature permits multiple trade
crews to work concurrently, resulting in significant labor and cost savings. Safespan
employs reusable components, custom designed by Safespan's in-house structural
engineering staff to meet individual project requirements. Platform installation,
redeployment and removal proceed quickly with minimal traffic disruption. |
Safespan's addressed the outside fascia
Workers appear to be working on the ground
Safespan covered five spans at one hundred feet in
the air
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The Benefits
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- Accelerates contracting crews' performance with easy
installation and removal, providing simultaneous access to multiple work areas
- Stretches contractors' work season by dramatically increasing
productivity, thereby reducing time and labor costs.
- Reduces contractor liability by shielding pedestrians and
vehicles from hazardous demolition debris.
- Gets contractor's project approach approved by meeting or
exceeding Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and American Association of
State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) requirements and facilitating site
inspections.
- Mitigates environmental issues by retaining dust and debris
for easy clean-up and disposal.
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Status
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Safespan Multi-Span Platform System is a
patented system with multiple improvements patents pending. It has been used in several
painting and rehabilitation projects in U.S., such as:
- Painting project of Robert Moses Bridge across Fire Island
Inlet east of New York City.
- Concrete removal and shotcrete rehabilitation project of
Veterans' Memorial Bridge in Rochester, New York.
- Blasting and painting project of eight-span bridge in the
state of Connecticut.
- Roadway rebuilding project on the upper deck of the Henry
Hudson Bridge, New York City.
- Rehabilitation project of the Veterans Homes Memorial Bridge
in Minnesota.
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Points of Contact
- David Malcolm, Safespan Platform Systems, Inc., 252
Fillmore Avenue, Tonawanda, NY 14150-2408, Phone: 1-800-368-4010 or (716)
694-1100, Fax: (716) 694-1188
References
- "Bridge Work Platform Saves Labor,
Money", Transportation Today, Engineering News Record, June 28, 99, p. T-93.
- John Gartner, "New Platform System Used
to Rehabilitate Bridges", Roads & Bridges, June 1997
- John Gartner, "Unique Platform Improves
Safety, Speeds Concrete Arch", Bridge Builder, June-July 1998.
- Safespan Platform Systems, Inc., http://www.safespan.com/
Disclaimer Statement
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Neither the Construction
Industry Institute nor Purdue University in any way endorses this
technology or represents
that the information presented can be relied upon without further investigation. |
MA20 |
