Acrow’s Temporary Bascule Bridge Supports Rehabilitation of Historic Structure in New York’s Westchester County

Detour bridge will minimize disruptions during major construction project at Glen Island Park

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Sept. 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acrow, a leading international bridge engineering and supply company, announced today that a temporary bascule bridge it designed and supplied was recently installed at Glen Island Park in New Rochelle, NY. The modular steel structure will maintain uninterrupted road and marine traffic while a nearly century-old movable bridge undergoes full rehabilitation.

Glen Island is an extremely popular year-round destination with park facilities, a public beach and an event venue, and is close to several yacht clubs and marinas. The Glen Island Approach Bridge, built in 1930, provides the only access to the park for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, and its bascule span lifts to allow vessel access to Long Island Sound. In addition to enhancing safety, a rehabilitation would extend the bridge’s lifespan while preserving its historic character. Installing a temporary bascule bridge during construction was considered critical to the success of the project. In addition to minimizing impacts to the public, the temporary bridge enables compliance with Coast Guard requirements to open the channel to marine traffic on demand.

Acrow’s five-span temporary bridge has an overall length of 490 feet (149.35m), consisting of three approach spans of 100 feet (30.48m) each, a 110-foot (33.53m) back span, and an 80-foot (24.38m) bascule span. The structure has a two-lane width of 24 feet (7.35m) and a five-foot (1.52m) walkway the full length of the bridge. Complete with an epoxy aggregate deck surface, the structure’s design load is HS20-44, per New York State Department of Transportation Standards.

The bridge was rented to project contractor Kiewit Infrastructure Co. Eastern District, with the contract executed in December 2024. While there were many complexities to the project, the timeline proved particularly challenging, as the contract stipulated the temporary bridge be opened to traffic and operational prior to the Memorial Day weekend in late May 2025.

Beginning in February, the standard components were delivered to Kiewit-Weeks Marine yard in Jersey City, NJ, where the spans were pre-assembled, loaded onto barges, then barged to the jobsite, some 30 miles (48.28km) away. The individual spans were lifted into place, with the bascule span placed last. From April through early May, final non-standard parts, as well as mechanical and electrical controls (provided by Lemke Industrial and Panatrol, respectively), were manufactured and delivered to the site. Acrow personnel were on site to provide technical assistance throughout the assembly, installation, and testing of the bridge.

The bascule span was first opened for testing and span balancing on May 9, and the structure was commissioned on May 16, opening to traffic during a County ribbon cutting ceremony on May 19. Acrow’s bridge will be in place until the rehabilitation construction is completed, now anticipated to be December 2026.

“Acrow is delighted to have been involved in this important project to preserve a structure of historical engineering and architectural significance,” said Russ Parisi, Vice President North America. “Despite a short timeline, close collaboration between numerous project partners meant the bridge could be opened for the Memorial Day weekend and the beginning of the busy summer boating season.”

Added Mark Joosten, Acrow’s President and COO, “Although movable bridges are technically challenging, Acrow’s deep expertise in engineering complex structures resulted in the project’s safe and successful outcome. Our bridge at Glen Island will provide a safe, reliable solution to maintaining road and marine traffic throughout the rehabilitation project, minimizing disruptions to the public and the local economy.”

About Acrow
Acrow has been serving the transportation and construction industries for more than 70 years with a wide range of modular steel bridging solutions for permanent, temporary, military and emergency use. Acrow’s extensive international presence includes leadership in the development and implementation of bridge infrastructure projects in over 150 countries across Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, please visit www.acrow.com.

Media contact:
Tracy Van Buskirk
Marketcom PR
Main: (212) 537-5177, ext. 8; Mobile: (203) 246-6165
tvanbuskirk@marketcompr.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/31b265f3-401b-4113-93e3-2b4e262f0075

Acrow Temporary Bascule Bridge at Glen Island Park in New Rochelle NY

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