Accelerated Bridge Construction in Portland

completed

After more than 60 years in operation, Portland, Maine’s Veranda Street Bridge on I-295 was due for a replacement. The bridge, one of the most heavily travelled in the state carrying around 55,000 vehicles per day, was deemed structurally deficient upon inspection in 2017. To increase safety and to minimize impact to highway traffic, an Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) plan was implemented for the project which only allowed for a 60-hour highway closure. The method of ABC selected for this project by Cianbro Corporation, the lead contractor on the job, involved building the upper portion of the new bridge to the side of the existing one on temporary supports.