Composite Mat Roadway on Water for Chicopee Bridge Project

Northern Construction took on a bridge restoration project in Chicopee, MA and needed an alternative to using a barge to transport materials to repair a bridge pier to the Wilimansett Bridge.

The river depth fluctuated between 3 - 6 feet, controlled by the nearby dam's scheduled release of water. Sunbelt Rentals was asked if the composite mats would be able to support equipment on the surface of the Connecticut River to enable the hauling and placing of rock around a pier of the Willimansett Bridge. Because of EPA restrictions, the mats were not allowed to come into contact with the bridge pier or the bottom of the river.

Sunbelt Rentals mats did provide the necessary attributes for the job and our engineers and Northern Construction worked together to provide solutions to securing the mats in place in the quickly moving river. The swift current of the river made the installation difficult but with the help of the skilled team at Northern, the mats were anchored to the piers of an upstream bridge which stabilized them in the water. After several dry runs, Northern was able to traverse the mats, with loaders and an excavator, and completed the pier work ahead of schedule and without incident.

Sunbelt Rentals mobilized the mats to site and installed the roadway in the river in three days. Northern made the bridge repairs in two days and Sunbelt Rentals returned to remove the mats thereafter. The job was completed in one week with no impact to the environment.