PVS Structures Raccoon River Bridge

PVS Structures is fabricating eight 75-0 beam spans for Iowa Interstate Railroad that are being installed over the Raccoon River just West of Des Moines, IA. These beam spans are using 5-W40x503 beams per span. Each of these beams is 42 inches deep and weighs 503 lbs. per lineal foot or 37,800 lbs. Each span has two units, a 2 beam unit and a 3 beam unit. Fully fabricated, the 2 beam unit weighs 97,000 lbs and 3 beam unit weighs 141,000 lbs. the entire span once erected in the field weighs 243,780 lbs or 121.9 tons.

Hayden Transportation LLC out of Liberty, MO has been contracted to move these units from PVS to the Jobsite in Booneville, IA. The tractor trailer they’re using to move each unit has a total of 11 axles, Seven at the tractor and 4 at the trailer. Once loaded the tractor trailer is approximately 125’-0” long. The trailer being used has a steerable rear end which is needed to make any sharp corner. It is operated independently from the tractor by remote control from the following pilot car.

Hayden Transportation has shared a video showing one of the eight 3 beam units leaving our facility in Carter Lake and traveling through downtown Omaha to Interstate 80 and finally to the jobsite. Please see video below.

Thanks again to operations manager Doug Loughery with Hayden Transportation for composing the video and sharing, It’s an amazing sight to see.