Meriwether Bridges

Big Hole River, MT

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O'Keefe Drilling setting up for start of drilled shaft foundations.

 

George Tempest guiding rebar cage into shaft.          A look into the shaft, ready for concrete.

 

George Tempest guiding concrete pump hose into abutment form.

 

Preparing to move form to abutment location.

 

Bernie Parrow guiding casing into shaft.          Frank Parrow running drill rig.

 

Tying rebar in abutment form.

 Clark's Crossing Bridge, east abutment form.

 

Keith Monohan; a look inside Meriwether Bridge, west abutment form.           Assembling east abutment, with form liner.

 

Setting Meriwether Bridge east abutment form.

 

L.S. Ready Mix (Dillon, MT) and Lonesome Dove Pumping (Bozeman, MT) ready to go.

 

Tower fabrication at Sahale shop in Seattle.           Flame bending technique for straightening steel members.

 

Meriwether Bridge parts arrive on Sahale boom truck from Seattle.

 

Carroll's daughter Skye, at the wheel of the boom truck.

 

Erecting Meriwether Bridge east tower.          Carroll Vogel at tower top.

 

Skye with Daddy.

 

Trestle remants at Coolidge, a ghost town near Meriwether Ranch.

 

 Ruins of mill at Coolidge.

Erecting Clark's Crossing west tower.          Marco Ernandes setting tower leg.

 

Keith Monohan and Carroll Vogel at tower top, Meriwether Bridge west abutment.          View across the Big Hole from Meriwether west abutment.

 

Meriwether Bridge Towers

 

Clarks Crossing east tower.          Clarks Crossing east tower.

 

Meriwether Bridge Towers from downriver.

 

Cable stays laid out for socketing.          Broomed bridge strand.

 

Broomed stay cables with Meriwether Towers in background.

 

Carroll Vogel ready for acid dipping bridge strand to remove galvanizing.          Marco Ernandes acid dipping bridge strand.

 

Marco Ernandes sealing socket with putty.

 

Marco Ernandes connecting stays at tower top.          Connecting stays, Meriwether east tower.

 

Marco Ernandes connecting stays.

 

Jay Borseth preparing to launch stringer section on skyline.

 

Carroll Vogel mugging for the camera too, but without the snazzy orange hard hat.

 

Carroll Vogel and Filson.

 

Jay Borseth in the basket.       Carroll Vogel connecting stays to stringer mid-section.

 

Carroll Vogel with first girder in place.

 

Second Meriwether Bridge stringer section has been added.

 

The view from mid-span looking east.         Carroll Vogel and mid-span stringer section.

 

Senior Engineer Al "Mike" Highberger contemplates the action.

 

Father and Son, Engineer and Master Builder, Mike and Carroll.

 

Senior Engineer Al "Mike" Highberger assembling stringer section.          Preparing to launch downriver stringer mid-section, Meriwether Bridge.

 

Preparing to launch downriver stringer mid-section, Meriwether Bridge.

 

Meriwether Bridge under construction.

 

Downriver stringer under during construction.          Zak Steigmeyer adjusting skyline tension.

 

Walking the downriver stringer during winter.

 

Upriver view of Big Hole channel from Meriwether Bridge.

 

Meriwether Bridge at 16 below zero.

 

Meriwether Bridge at 16 below zero.

 

Full moon rising over Meriwether Bridge.

 

Zak Steigmeyer assembling steel.          Hoar frost on safety ropes on a sub-zero morning.

 

Working from above and below to make up a splice joint at Clarks Crossing.          Setting floor beams and stringers on Meriwether Bridge.

 

Placing diagonal bracing.

 

Like building a railroad, the boom truck backs over completed deck to set floor beams, three at a time.

 

By golly, the bridge works; 30,000 pound truck and all.

 

Meriwether Bridge from the east, closing the gap at the west abutment.

 

Meriwether Bridge from up river.

 

Meriwether Bridge from the east.

 

Meriwether Bridge from the west, looking down river.

 

Big Hole River and Meriwether Bridge.

 

Meriwether Bridge, looking west.