Scaffolding the bridge of sighs

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Scaffolding the bridge of sighs

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Somewhere deep in the center of New Jersey, in the “Blueberry Capital of the World” is a bridge being reconditioned to transport the masses to worlds unknown.  Now, I could have gone two ways on this one: Monty Python and the Holy Grail – “Answer me these questions three…” or “Why so unforgiving and why so cold?  Been a long time crossing bridge of sighs…”.  Either way, you are looking at bridges with historical (or farcical) significance. 

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I chose the latter, Bridge of Sighs, that actually existed.  Ponte dei Sospiri, is an enclosed bridge in Venice, Italy that passes over the Rio di Palazzo, and connects the New Prison (Prigioni Nuove) to the interrogation rooms in the Doge’s Palace.  It has been said the name comes from the sigh that the soon to be prisoners give as they cross it heading to their new home.  And given the climate of snow, fog, haze, and wind the day I took photos – it just fit.

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That bridge, built in 1600 is made of white limestone and has windows with stone bars and does exactly what our bridge does.  It gets pedestrians to and from their destination.  And like the real Bridge of Sighs, this one is covered, made of steel and is need of a new set of clothes, so to speak. 

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That’s where Superior Scaffold comes in. Brought in by GC, Merrell & Garraguso we provided the scaffold work deck to get the restoration crew close enough to the entire bridge to do their work.

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And when this renovation is complete everyone will give a great SIGH of relief at just how incredible it looks.  See what I did there?  So deep in the heart of blueberry country will sit the American version of the bridge of sighs but for an entirely different reason.

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Let’s talk about the scaffold, shalst we?  Yes, we shalst.  System scaffold to be exact and a lot of it.  And we have some horizontal trusses on each end too helping support the weight above. 

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The scaffold is 86’ long X 21’ wide and is 8’ high on the underside or lower deck.  It also goes 14’ high on one end and 20’ high on the other to allow crew members access on both ends of the bridge.

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It’s got one main deck in the center, as you can see from the photos, where most of the work happening and allows access to underside.  There are two additional work decks on the outsides of the bridge as well that get restoration crews to the exterior.

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Steel plank or deck was also used to give the the crew the best support while treating those pesky, hard to reach rusted areas.

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By reskinning, treating old rust, replacing steel in trouble spots, and then adding a new coat of paint, M&G will bring this bridge of sighs back to its full glory and completely worthy of its new moniker.

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I have to thank Buck Purdy for not only having the coolest name in the business but for also letting us be a part of this renovation.

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And if you need access to any hard to reach places or just want Pat to play you a song on his fiddle, call Superior Scaffold today at (215) 743-2200 or visit www.superiorscaffold.com.

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And for the boss; the song that started this entire post.  Enjoy.

 

These photos are in various states of installation/dismantlement.

 

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