Pulaski Skyway Rocker Bent Replacement

The Pulaski Skyway, a 3.5-mile-long bridge-causeway, carries Routes 1 and 9 traffic over the Hackensack and Passaic Rivers, the New Jersey Turnpike, several railroads, and various industrial facilities. Constructed in the 1930s, this four-lane structure primarily consists of steel truss superstructure spans and was named in honor of General Casimir Pulaski, a hero of the American Revolutionary War. As this 90-year-old structure approaches its centennial, it demands considerable attention in the form of repairs to address the deterioration it has endured and enhancements to its existing design features that fall short of current standards. In 2007, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) launched a comprehensive rehabilitation program, divided into phases and spread across 10 primary contracts, supplemented by numerous smaller-scale projects. Among the most critical contracts is the rehabilitation of the existing rocker bents (RBs), a truss expansion system rendered inoperative due to extensive pack rust accumulation. This “frozen” state of the RBs leads to significantly increased stresses in several truss members when subjected to extreme temperature fluctuations. Moreover, the presence of heavy pack rust suggests substantial section loss at the truss chords and gusset plates, further compromising the structural integrity of the bridge.