I-15 bridge move completed ahead of schedule

Dignissim • Ipsum ut ullamcorper sed diam wisi euismod.

Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune

Workers move the Sam White Bridge into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels - Self-Propelled Modular Transporters- in the western hemisphere.

Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune

The Sam White Bridge is being moved into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels - Self-Propelled Modular Transporters- in the western hemisphere.

Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune

Workers move the Sam White Bridge into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels - Self-Propelled Modular Transporters- in the western hemisphere.

Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune

People watch as workers move the Sam White Bridge into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels - Self-Propelled Modular Transporters- in the western hemisphere.

Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune

Workers wait to move the Sam White Bridge into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels - Self-Propelled Modular Transporters- in the western hemisphere.

Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune

Workers move the Sam White Bridge into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels - Self-Propelled Modular Transporters- in the western hemisphere.

Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune

People watch as workers move the Sam White Bridge into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels - Self-Propelled Modular Transporters- in the western hemisphere.

Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune

Workers watch as the Sam White Bridge is being moved into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels - Self-Propelled Modular Transporters- in the western hemisphere.

Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune

Workers look at the Sam White Bridge and the wheels on which it will move before it is placed across I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels, called Self-Propelled Modular Transporters, in the western hemisphere.

Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune

Frank Morin talks to other workers before moving the Sam White Bridge into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels, called Self-Propelled Modular Transporters, in the western hemisphere.

Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune

Views of the wheels that will move the Sam White Bridge into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels, called Self-Propelled Modular Transporters, in the western hemisphere.

Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune

A worker stands in front of the Sam White Bridge before it is moved into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels, called Self-Propelled Modular Transporters, in the western hemisphere.

Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune

A look at the Sam White Bridge before it is moved into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels, called Self-Propelled Modular Transporters, in the western hemisphere.

1 of 13

Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune Workers move the Sam White Bridge into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels - Self-Propelled Modular Transporters- in the western hemisphere. Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune The Sam White Bridge is being moved into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels - Self-Propelled Modular Transporters- in the western hemisphere. Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune Workers move the Sam White Bridge into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels - Self-Propelled Modular Transporters- in the western hemisphere. Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune People watch as workers move the Sam White Bridge into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels - Self-Propelled Modular Transporters- in the western hemisphere. Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune Workers wait to move the Sam White Bridge into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels - Self-Propelled Modular Transporters- in the western hemisphere. Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune Workers move the Sam White Bridge into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels - Self-Propelled Modular Transporters- in the western hemisphere. Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune People watch as workers move the Sam White Bridge into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels - Self-Propelled Modular Transporters- in the western hemisphere. Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune Workers watch as the Sam White Bridge is being moved into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels - Self-Propelled Modular Transporters- in the western hemisphere. Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune Workers look at the Sam White Bridge and the wheels on which it will move before it is placed across I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels, called Self-Propelled Modular Transporters, in the western hemisphere. Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune Frank Morin talks to other workers before moving the Sam White Bridge into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels, called Self-Propelled Modular Transporters, in the western hemisphere. Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune Views of the wheels that will move the Sam White Bridge into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels, called Self-Propelled Modular Transporters, in the western hemisphere. Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune A worker stands in front of the Sam White Bridge before it is moved into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels, called Self-Propelled Modular Transporters, in the western hemisphere. Djamila Grossman | The Salt Lake Tribune A look at the Sam White Bridge before it is moved into place on I-15 at American Fork on Saturday, March 26, 2011. It is the longest two-span bridge ever moved on wheels, called Self-Propelled Modular Transporters, in the western hemisphere.

The Salt Lake Tribune

· March 27, 2011 2:24 pm

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Snowy skies didn't slow the overnight placement of a 354-foot long bridge across Interstate 15 in American Fork.

Workers actually finished ahead of schedule, reopening a closed section of I-15 at 7 a.m., three hours sooner than expected, according to the Utah Department of Transportation.

The 3.8-million-pound Sam White Bridge is the longest two-span bridge ever moved by Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs) in the Western Hemisphere, says UDOT. The bridge is one of 59 that will be built, modified or rebuilt as part of the $1.7 billion Utah County I-15 Corridor Expansion (I-15 CORE), reconstruction of 24 miles of freeway from Lehi to Spanish Fork.

More than 1,000 people showed up to watch the move, including federal officials and transportation industry professionals from as far away as China, said UDOT spokeswoman Heather Barnum.

Two sets of SPMTs — hydraulic jacks on wheels, controlled by a single joystick — were used to lift the structure 21 feet in the air. The bridge was then moved from the "bridge farm" where it was constructed on the east side of I-15 across eight freeway lanes (approximately 500 feet) and lowered into place.

The technology eliminated the need for 10 full freeway closures, keeping the economy, commuters, goods and services moving, said project director Dal Hawks.

The bridge, named for a landowner who had a 160-acre homestead in Pleasant Grove, is expected to open in mid-May.

The CORE project is about 30 percent complete and on schedule for a December 2012 deadline, say UDOT officials. For more details on the move, go to udot.utah.gov/i15core/bridge.