GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico – Construction of a new bridge over the Río Abajo in Utuado got underway this week with the arrival of a massive IMT AF-160 drill. The project will reconnect a remote, mountain community that has been isolated since Hurricane Maria swept away the old bridge last September.
After being shipped from North Carolina on a barge, the drill and its accessories were transported on four flatbed trailers to Manatí on the north coast, where the drill was assembled and then moved inland to the construction site. Because of its size and weight, a special transport permit was required to transfer the drill.
Capable of 160,000 pounds of rotary torque (twisting force), the drill will be in operation daily over the next week, says Miguel Ramos, a spokesman for MRD, the contractor tasked with this stage of bridge construction.
The project is crucial to the Barrio Rio Abajo community, which has been served by a temporary bridge since the Puente de Marcelo was destroyed by the storm.
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