The Ohio Department of Transportation recently began erecting a bridge using the bridge launching method in Akron as part of the $158 million State Route 8 bridge replacement project.
This is the first time the department has used the method.
Using the bridge launching method, crews build a bridge in sections on the ground then slowly roll each section from one pier to the next until the sections are in their final positions. The method avoids having crews suspended in the air and is more cost efficient than conventional steel erection.
The current bridge was built in 1953 and carries more than 114,000 vehicles daily. It was repaired multiple times, and it was more cost efficient to replace the bridge as opposed to maintaining it.
On Tuesday, the first 196-foot-long section was pushed from pier to pier using rollers and hydraulic jacks going approximately 40 feet per hour. It took nearly six hours to reach its final placement.
The next section is expected to be launched in mid-August and will be 230 feet in length. Crews have begin to assemble the structural steel.
The southbound bridge is expected to be completed in January, and work on the northbound bridge will begin in 2026.