This month WireCo® WorldGroup commences shipments for the Manhattan Bridge in New York, NY, representing the largest single sale in WireCo WorldGroup history.  The shipments consist of MacWhyte® wire rope suspenders and the main cable wrapping wire.

The New York City Department of Transportation hired Contractor Skanska Koch to oversee the $175 million reconstruction project scheduled for completion in 2014.  Skanska Koch was awarded the rehabilitation project for the suspended spans of the structure. The project entails the complete rework for each of the four main cables on the structure.

WireCo WorldGroup has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Skanska Koch, and has worked closely with them on past projects including the Roosevelt Island Bridge (NY), the George Washington Bridge (Washington D.C.), and previous work on the Manhattan Bridge (NY).

WireCo WorldGroup’s fabrication facility in St. Joseph, MO produces the ropes and assemblies to tight tolerances to assure shipments meet the New York Department of Transportation’s standards.  Shipments are scheduled throughout the rest of 2010 and through December 2011.

Richard Humiston, Global Market Director – Structures, has led WireCo WorldGroup’s involvement in the project since 2005.  “The Manhattan Bridge is a historic and beautiful part of the New York City skyline,” Humiston said.  “We are proud to be so intimately involved in this important reconstruction process.  Our engineers continue to work closely with Skanska Koch and the New York City DOT to ensure that all specifications are met and exceeded, and we will continue to support their efforts as the replacement suspenders are installed.”

The Manhattan Bridge is currently undergoing the final contract segment of an $834 million reconstruction program with completion scheduled for 2014.

The original construction on the Manhattan Bridge began in 1901 and opened to traffic in December of 1909.  Daily, the bridge accommodates approximately 75,000 vehicles, 320,000 mass transit riders and 3,000 pedestrians between Manhattan and Brooklyn.  It supports seven lanes of vehicular traffic as well as four subway tracks, upon which four transit train lines operate.