Long X Bridge

Demolition

Project Overview

In 2019 Veit was contracted to remove 969’ long high truss bridge, a piece of history out in the western frontier. The 1959 historic Long X Bridge needed to be replaced with a wider, four-laned bridge.

Prior to the removal of the bridge, Veit was required to submit a detailed engineered demolition plan that addressed the removal of the bridge superstructure and piers, provides environmental protection, and sequences the salvage operation.

Veit started the project in late 2020 by removing the concrete bridge deck. Once the bridge deck was removed, Veit shored the 250’ portion of the bridge that required salvage and disassembly. Structural demolition of the bridge began once the bridge was surgically disconnected from the portion that was being salvaged. Special consideration and detailed planning were required in controllably felling the structure as the spans were cantilevered over the piers and the newly constructed bridge, carrying traffic, was only a mere 29 feet away.

While one Veit crew was conventionally demolishing most of the bridge, another Veit crew was deconstructing a a250’ portion of the bridge piece by piece. Overall, the project included 2,463-man hours with zero safety incidents.