Hardinge Bridge Span Repair

The bottom chords and diagonal members of one of the 345-ft (105 m.) Petit type riveted through spans of Hardinge bridge were damaged by explosion during the war in 1971. As a result the span was out of shape and also was unfit for use. The span was repaired by temporarily securing the damaged truss from adjacent spans with the help of pin-connected link members. The damaged truss was jacked up from two steel barges specially strengthened from the purpose and the load was applied by pumping out water from (built-in) compartments in the barges. The job was of a challenging nature considering the unfavorable river condition and the short time available for restoration work. A computerized analysis of the damaged span was carried out to establish the stress condition of the various members of the damaged span.