Milestone reached for bridge construction

The construction team reached a milestone Thursday, Oct. 26 with the setting of the first “trophy piece.”

Trophy pieces are massive concrete structures consisting of a footer, column, and cap. They are set atop the piles using a crane. The trophy pieces will be connected horizontally using concrete beams. The bridge deck, which includes the riding surface, will be constructed atop the beams.

The bridge design calls for setting 415 trophy pieces. The first one was set on land on what will become the Gulf Breeze approach for the new bridge. The larger trophy pieces will weigh in excess of a quarter-million-pounds. They’re fabricated at a concrete casting yard located at nearby Bayou Chico and transported to the bridge construction site by barge.