The American Bridge/Fluor joint venture (ABFJV) began construction on the SAS portion of the bridge in 2006. When finished in 2013, the SAS, together with the Skyway and Oakland Touchdown, will complete the East Span of the Bay Bridge. Initial construction activities included logistics planning and long-range procurement. A 400-foot-long, 1,700-metric-ton-capacity shear leg crane barge was constructed to lift the massive segments of the deck and tower. Bridge components are being fabricated in the United States, Europe, and Asia. A secondary office was established in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, to oversee production of the main structural steel fabrication and supply.
ABFJV will erect a falsework structure to support the new road deck. Bridge components will ship via eight shipments, arriving every two months from China. Road deck segments will lift from the barges onto the falsework by the shear leg crane barge, with the road deck in-place after 28 lifts. The 160-meter tall single tower from which the bridge is suspended will complete concurrently. After installing the 800-mm diameter main cable and suspender cables, the deck weight will be transferred from the temporary falsework to the main cable.
The completion of the SAS Bridge will provide the San Francisco Bay area with not only a breathtaking bridge but also a sound structure that will withstand major seismic events and serve as an emergency lifeline route for disaster responses. ABFJV is providing new levels of innovation and an exacting precision in work performance and construction quality to deliver a signature bridge that meets these requirements. This project exemplifies the high-level coordination required between contractors, agencies, and the public to make sure all elements of this highly complex, multi-segmented, mega project come together as planned.