High winds halt construction of Barryville-Shohola Bridge

BARRYVILLE, NY — Steel construction workers had to stop lifting a 35-ton beam onto its mooring at the new Barryville-Shohola Bridge construction site because of high winds on March 27.

This was the first attempt by the High Steel Structure Company of Lancaster, PA to put the beams in place. The beams are eight feet high and 170 feet long. Eventually, 32 of them will have to be positioned.

“We already snapped two guide ropes,” a worker said. The guide ropes are held by the workers to pull the beam in a direction as it is being lifted.

“I had to tell the men to stop because the wind was too strong,” said foreman Scott McClune. “We’ll try again tomorrow.”

According to the New York-Pennsylvania Joint Interstate Commission, the new bridge connecting Barryville and Shohola, PA is scheduled to be completed by 2007.