Built in 1901, the Willis Avenue Bridge over the Harlem River carries more than 70,000 vehicles a day. Age, weather and heavy use of this swing bridge led the New York City Department of Transportation to award a $612 million contract to a Kiewit-led joint venture to replace the existing bridge with a new swing bridge immediately to the south, including ramps and approaches.

The project scope includes excavation, backfill, utilities, electrical work, lagging, painting, masonry and demolition of the existing bridge. The work also includes constructing parapets, caissons, precast footing boxes, a fender system, sheet-pile cofferdams, concrete footing and concrete piers.

Impact to vehicular and marine traffic was minimal. Traffic continued to flow on the old bridge while the new bridge was constructed.  The new swing span was fabricated and assembled offsite and floated into place after crews completed construction of the foundations and piers.

The project is scheduled for completion in December 2012.

Kiewit, headquartered in Omaha, Neb., is one of North America’s largest construction and engineering organizations. With its roots dating back to 1884, the employee-owned company operates through a network of offices in the United States, Canada and abroad. Kiewit offers construction and engineering services in a variety of markets, including transportation, water/wastewater, heavy civil, power, oil, gas and chemical, building and mining.