Donjon removes span on Amtrak railroad bridge on Thames river channel

Donjon Marine Co., Inc. removes a 1,000-ton Amtrak rail bridge span June 24, 2008 [courtesy DonJon Marine]

Putting its heavy-lift capability to the test, on June 24, 2008, Donjon Marine Co., Inc. removed an old, rusted, 1,000-ton Amtrak rail bridge span located across the Thames River in New London, Connecticut. Donjon’s Chesapeake 1000, the largest floating heavy-lift crane on the East Coast, hoisted the bridge span – in place at that location for 89 years – from the track and transported it onboard one of its new 1400-class deck barges (Witte 1402) back to Port Newark for dismantling and disposal. The old bridge span will be replaced with a new, 1,888-foot-long, 35-foot-wide section.

By Professional Mariner Staff