ARE’s emergency response to consecutive barge strikes provided NWP Railroad with cost-effective repairs to maintain the safety of the Black Point Bridge
NWP (Northwestern Pacific) Railroad‘s Black Point bridge crosses over the Petaluma River in Northern California. The bridge consists of one swing span that spans a total of 294 feet and timber approaches on each end. In the spring of 2018, two separate barge accidents happened at the Black Point Bridge which damaged the steel truss and the timber fender protecting it.
The first barge strike damaged the right truss diagonal. ARE-AirShark’s senior Bridge Engineer inspected the bridge and determined that trains could temporarily use the bridge until repairs were made. ARE-AirShark’s engineers designed a cost-effective repair for the damaged diagonal that only required a short shutdown period.
The second barge strike damaged the fender protection system. The fender system is critical in protecting the bridge due to the high mariner traffic on this river. ARE-AirShark assessed the damage and provided the client repair plans for the timber fender replacement. Piles that could be reused were identified by ARE-AirShark to provide cost-effective repairs. ARE-AirShark also provided construction supervision during the replacement.
The two Black Point Bridge incidents occurred so close to each other that inspection and repairs needed to occur immediately. ARE-AirShark’s provided an emergency inspection and cost-effective replacements and repairs.
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