Misener has performed work in Puerto almost continuously for the past 30 years. Their current project is located in Arecibo, 50 miles west of the capital city of San Juan. The $7.9 million contract with the U.S. government is to rehabilitate a bridge partially destroyed by Hurricane Georges in 1998.
Misener will partially demolish the old bridge, then install 24 (54" diameter) concrete cylinder piles, and erect 56 post-tensioned girders. A temporary trestle has been constructed to access the area. High performance concrete will be used, and the cylinder piles will be filled with concrete after they are cleaned using an airlift, which is essentially an underwater vacuum cleaner, as explained by project manager Eric van Zuthem. The piles will be driven to both a minimum tip elevation of 140 feet, and a bearing capacity of 1,040 tons.
As with all Caribbean jobs, all materials and equipment are being barged from the U.S. This includes two 225-ton cranes used to drive pile and erect girders both weighing 70-80 tons. When the project is completed later this summer, Misener will move equipment and people to a very similar project for the same client, 40 miles up the coastline.
