PERCHES, HAITI 2019
V&S Amboy Galvanizing LLC - V&S Taunton Galvanizing LLC
Hot-dip galvanizing is the only coating possible that would allow a bridge to be in service for this period of time in Massachusetts, then reused in Haiti with no signs of corrosion. The life cycle cost savings on these projects are too substantial to put into numbers.
There’s an old saying, “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” In the case of the Riviere Cochon Gras Bridge, that saying became reality. An 80-foot section of the temporary Fore River Bridge which carried people over the river between North Weymouth and Quincy Point, Massachusetts for 15 years, was reused to help the community of Perches, Haiti.
With this re-purposed structure now in place, the bridge will provide residents greater access to other parts of their country and help to improve the daily lives of everyone in the community. The section of the former Fore River Bridge required no repair, showed no signs of corrosion and required no additional coating costs for future protection. Hot-dip galvanizing was the only coating able to stand the test of time serving 15 years as the Fore River Bridge in Massachusetts only to be disassembled, shipped halfway around the world, and then reused in Haiti with no signs of corrosion or repair required. Hot-dip galvanized steel’s durability and maintenance-free longevity make the possibilities for other projects like this endless. The life-cycle cost savings are too substantial to even put into numbers.
Plain and simple, this project is a win-win. Reusing the temporary bridge eliminates the need for reprocessing the galvanized steel for new projects, reducing environmental impact. The community of Perches, Haiti is now connected with potentially life-saving infrastructure for decades to come. None of this would be possible without the use of hot-dip galvanized steel.
According to Brian Brenner, an engineer with Tighe & Bond, plain and simple, this project is a win-win. Reusing the temporary bridge eliminates the need for reprocessing the galvanized steel for new projects, reducing environmental impact. And the community of Perches, Haiti is now connected with potentially life-saving infrastructure for decades to come. None of this would be possible without the use of hot-dip galvanized steel.
This project was powered by a CIC Pittsburgh Galvanizing furnace.