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Grist Mill Bridge with AIT Bridges' beams opens

24 Feb '21
2 min read
Pic: Advanced Infrastructure Technologies
Pic: Advanced Infrastructure Technologies

The replacement of the Grist Mill Bridge, which now has composite beams supplied by AIT Bridges, a division of Advanced Infrastructure Technologies (AIT), a designer and supplier of composite bridge systems and structural components, has opened to traffic. The bridge, located on Route 1A, in Hampden Maine, has been opened after required load testing.

The former span was constructed in 1950 and comprised three bridges built one on top of the another. It has been replaced with a new span consisting of five composite beams manufactured at AIT Bridge’s Brewer, Maine facility. The technology was developed in cooperation with The University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Centre.

The Grist Mill Bridge spans over the Souadabscook Stream which is an environmentally sensitive tributary of the Penobscot River. This bridge replacement is part of a project that includes reconstruction and paving work on an almost two-mile-long stretch of Route 1A. The total cost for the project is approximately $8.9 million.

AIT Bridges' composite bridge systems are designed to last over 100 years, at least 30 years longer than the average steel bridge. Additionally, because its bridge systems use composites instead of steel, they need little to zero maintenance over their lifecycle. The use of sustainable, environmentally friendly (low carbon footprint) materials results in a low impact solution to the aging bridges in the US.

“We’re so pleased to have lent our engineering expertise to the replacement of the Grist Mill Bridge in Hampden,” Ken Sweeney, president and chief engineer, AIT Bridges, said in a press release. “We wanted to ensure that the construction that took place in 2020 would be long lasting and resilient. By using materials made in Maine by Maine craftspeople, this bridge will stand the test of time.”

AIT Bridges offers the composite arch bridge system and composite beams; two building blocks capable of replacing most bridges across the country.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SV)

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