Over the 2007 Labor Day weekend, C.C. Myers, Inc. completed the demolition and roll-in of 348 feet of the viaduct connecting the East Span with the tunnel on Yerba Buena Island. Demolition, by Silverado Contractors, started at 8:49 p.m. on Friday, August 31, 2007. With a crew of over 200 working around the clock, their portion of the work was completed in just 49 hours. The first phase of their work was the saw cutting of the concrete deck by Bay Line Cutting & Coring and Penhall Company. Utilizing 24 saws, they cut the deck into 48 sections in two hours. Sheedy Crane provided 2 dedicated cranes and operators to work with the excavators to remove the deck sections. Each of the forty-eight sections were moved to Sheedy's heavy haul trailers and trucked to a yard in Oakland where they were demolished by Silverado for the concrete to be recycled.
Silverado continued with the removal of columns and girders (weighing up to 185,000 pounds each) from the removed roadway, and hauled them off. Demolition was completed Sunday night Using equipment provided by Mammoet, the 6,700 ton replacement structure was moved into place in just under two hours.
After Penhall Company installed joint seals, the lane striping was laid down, and the bridge opened at 6:00 p.m. Monday evening.
The quick work of all the parties involved, and the dedication of the tireless workers, allowed this crucial artery to open 11 hours ahead of schedule. The most important goal of completing the job safely was also accomplished, without even a first-aid incident during this busy time in close quarters.
C.C. Myers, Inc. could not have completed this work as safely and as quickly as they did without the help of all involved. We wish to thank the following groups specifically:
Silverado Contractors, and their subcontractor Sheedy Crane
Mammoet USA, Inc.
Caltrans, the Bay Area Toll Authority, and the California Transportation Commission
