History

How Safespan Evolved

The highly-engineered Safespan Multi-Span Bridge Platform System was developed in 1994 by experienced bridge rehabilitation contractors to mitigate the risks and difficulties associated with their line of work: safety and inspection issues, environmental concerns, business interruption, emergency situations, rising labor costs, and the need for increased efficiencies. Dissatisfied with available bridge access options and their associated costs, these entrepreneurs pooled their industry knowledge, insight and experience to develop a safer, more efficient and economical option for organizations involved in bridge rehabilitation.

Safespan's proprietary design approach was proven on Long Island in a prototype installation on the 25-span, 4,186' (1,275.9m) long Robert Moses Bridge, whose roadway peaks at 70' (21.3m) above the Fire Island Inlet. The winning contractor was able to bid well below the second lowest, with more than half of the difference attributable to the labor savings he anticipated and achieved from the new platform system. The job took just 13 months to complete, against a New York State-projected schedule of 17.

The Safespan Multi-Span Bridge Platform System quickly caught on with contractors working on a wide range of bridges, including several complex skewed and double-deck structures, as well as various industrial applications. Safespan systems have been successfully utilized on many projects world wide. They included difficult steel arch, concrete arch, bascule, and swing bridges, as well as suspension, girder, floor beam, and many types of truss configurations. Several U.S. patents have been issued on Safespan's cable-suspended platform device since 1998; and several more domestic and foreign patents are pending. Safespan Platform Systems, Inc. is the exclusive party licensed to manufacture, sell and/or install such products in the U.S.A. under these patents and Safespan Europe, Ltd., is the exclusive party licensed to do so in Europe.

Safespan's system was the profit-boosting platform solution for Crane Hogan Structural Systems, Inc., which refurbished the magnificent concrete arch Veterans' Memorial Bridge, Rochester, NY.

In addition to a multitude of highway spans, Safespan's platforms are being used increasingly to speed the rehabilitation of bridges carrying, and/or crossing over railroads and transit lines.