Kids are first to test new Victory Bridge
New span replacing
80-year-old structure
to open in June
BY JOLENE HART
Staff Writer

FARRAH MAFFAI staff Davon Jackson glances up at the new bridge, as Tom Hardell, president of the George Harms Construction Co., Howell, addresses the students.

SAYREVILLE — Weeks are running short for the old Victory Bridge, which has spanned the Raritan River from Sayreville to Perth Amboy for nearly eight decades.

Even as the well-worn swing bridge’s life expires, its replacement is growing piece by piece, towering to the west of its predecessor in anticipation of an imminent change of hands.

Motorists waiting in traffic on the Victory Bridge last Friday craned their necks to watch the construction on the new fixed bridge while they waited for a boat to navigate the passage.

Meanwhile, high above the lines of vehicles, fifth-graders in Terri Yetsko’s Sayreville Middle School class were securing their footing as they crossed a beam that spanned two of the unattached segments of the new bridge.

FARRAH MAFFAI staff A new span on the Victory Bridge is scheduled to be completed this summer.

"Don’t look down," advised John Wisniewski, a parent chaperone on the trip, as he saw the students safely across a makeshift crossing. Wisniewski, a state assemblyman in the 19th Legislative District, helped arrange the trip for the class as the culmination of their study of bridges.

Once across the railed platform, the students found themselves on the second of three completed sections of the bridge, chunks that grow nearer to becoming one smooth, solid roadway with each added segment.

According to Tom Hardell, president and chief operating officer of Harms Construction Co., the remaining sections will eventually be jacked apart so that the final segments of the bridge can be wedged in. The concrete will shrink over time as it loses moisture, slightly flattening the surface, Hardell explained.

"You’re now standing in the middle of a balanced cantilever," said Hardell, whose company is completing work on the bridge. Hardell explained that pre-formed segments of the bridge are added to alternating sides of the T-shaped segment to maintain its balance. Though rigid, the structure is able to sway slightly with strong wind or pressure.

FARRAH MAFFAI staff Student Tom Kulesa walks across an unfinished portion of the new Victory Bridge.

Wearing the obligatory hard hats and safety vests, the class waved to workers directing concrete into reinforced molds that would dry to form the sides of the bridge. The crew moved steadily ahead and paused only to return the greeting to the students.

Even under a cloudy sky, the temperature on the deck of the bridge was pleasant and breezy.

"There are beautiful days and there are rough days," Hardell said, recalling the long overnight hours that his workers logged during the freezing winter months. Since construction began on May 1, 2003, workers have been on site from 10 p.m. on Sunday to 5 p.m. on Saturday each week.

During the project, workers drilled through diabase rock — a material tougher than steel — to secure the new footings in the 10- to 40-foot-deep water.

The original Victory Bridge, made of low-level steel and concrete, is now of substandard size, with its parts threatening to become obsolete. Three operators control the movement of the bridge 24 hours each day.

According to Wisniewski, a replacement for the aging Victory Bridge was an issue in the state Assembly even before he began his career as an assemblyman eight years ago. Wisniewski said he advocated for the addition of pedestrian walkways for the bridges as part of the state Department of Transportation project.

"Most bridge projects are strictly utilitarian due to funding," Wisniewski aid, "but this one has unique aesthetic elements." Wisniewski said the bridge’s land piers are sided with a large, patterned concrete tile.

The final renderings of the bridge show an impressive structure that features dramatic lighting — tall, arching lamps that will line the sides of the bridge, as well as illumination of the bridge’s supporting columns.

Looking ahead to the dedication of the new Victory Bridge, Wisniewski said it will be even more of a tribute to World War I — the victory referenced in the bridge’s name. The bridge will be affixed with both the commemorative plaque from the original bridge and a new observance to honor the veterans of all types of armed forces who served in World War I.

The class also took a barge ride around the site and viewed the construction from the middle of the Raritan River, guided by Hardell and members of his crew. From the water, the slight wave of the bridge — necessary to accommodate the close proximity of the original bridge — was easy to see. As the older bridge swings open to allow a boat to pass, it comes surprisingly close to the new structure.

Yetsko, wearing a life preserver and safety equipment, admitted that she was thrilled at the chance for her class to have the special tour of the project.

"I can’t believe this all started from reading a picture book about bridges," she said.

Daniel Seaman and Dennis Connors, two of Yetsko’s students, agreed that the bridge was "great" and that the best part of the tour was the excitement of walking between pieces of the bridge, because it was a long way down to the water.

Don Kulesa, another student, said that he liked getting to see a real bridge after talking about them in class.

The first span of the bridge is expected to be complete by June 15 and open for use by the end of the month. The new bridge will have a life expectancy of 60 to 80 years, Hardell said. At the moment, the old bridge continues to inconvenience motorists and boaters alike with its frequent opening and closing.

When the new bridge is completed, it will carry the north and south traffic burden while the old bridge is demolished and a second span is constructed on the same site.

When the entire project is complete in December 2005, the first span will carry southbound traffic while the second will support vehicles traveling north. The $109 million structure is expected to be the largest non-suspension span in the world when completed. Each bridge will have a 3,970-foot-long span with a 120-foot vertical clearance above the tide.

Yetsko’s students say that they’ll remember the tour this summer when they are traveling over the structure with their families. When the new spans reach their life expectancy 80 years from now, these students may still be around to tell about the time before the new Victory Bridge.