Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based L.B. Foster Company, a North American infrastructure supplier, is providing new roadway decking and bridge railing for the Brooklyn and Manhattan approach ramps to the Brooklyn Bridge. The $10 million contract will include more than 170,000 square feet of steel grid deck and 13,000 feet of steel railing. These fabricated materials are being manufactured at L.B. Foster's Bedford, Pennsylvania facility and expect to complete shipments by the end of 2011.
The New York City Department of Transportation has installed steel grid decking systems on many area projects including the Manhattan Bridge. "Steel grid decking offers efficient installation, long-term performance and low life cycle costs over competing products," noted Don Foster, Senior Vice President, L.B. Foster Construction Products. The grid decking reinforces the precast concrete to form a composite material that takes advantage of the best properties of both the concrete and steel. Concrete will be precast into these complex panels by a separate supplier and the panels will be shipped to the site ready to install.
The project's general contractor, Skanska, is painting the bridge's main span as well as retrofitting and widening the approach ramps and replacing railings. L.B. Foster is working closely with Skanska to deliver fabricated steel bridge materials within a critical time frame to minimize disruptions to traffic.