Crews prepare wood forms that will shape new bridge

Jim Gehrz, Star Tribune

Workers will use wooden forms to cast concrete girders. The large, vertical pieces, made of steel and wood, will be moved along the wooden ramp to create girder segments of different heights. Work on the $234 million replacement for the collapsed bridge started in November and is expected to take until December.

Last update: January 5, 2008 - 11:22 PM

The new Interstate 35W bridge will ultimately be made of concrete, but right now, a major building material at the site is wood, making the site feel a bit like an old shipyard. Crews are constructing giant trapezoidal molds that will be used to cast segments of the box girders for the bridge's main span. A large temporary structure will be built over the forms to keep things warm while the concrete cures.

The sloping wooden ramp visible in the picture at left echoes the bridge's arch and will serve as the bottom of the mold; the more vertical steel-and-plywood pieces will serve as the sides of the mold and will be moved along the ramp to create girder segments of different heights. Filling the forms with concrete is expected to begin later this month. The casting yard has been set up on the unused lanes of 35W just north of Washington Avenue.

JIM FOTI

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