The construction team used Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMT) to move the replacement bridge into place. This was the system’s first use in Maine. The geometry of the project also required that the SPMT’s be able to raise and lower each bridge by up to eight feet. The contractor responsible for the bridge move used an innovative jacking system that, until this project, had never been used on a bridge anywhere in the world. The use of SPMTs reduced the duration of construction roughly by half. This is the first known use of lightweight foam concrete as a distribution slab over geofoam. Its use maximized the amount of filling that could be completed prior to closing the roadway, minimizing the duration of the closure.

The use of SPMT’s allowed the old bridge to be demolished, and the new one constructed, with a single weekend closure of the interstate. During the remainder of the project traffic flowed through the construction site completely unimpeded. By limiting installation to a single weekend, the project team reduced the overall duration of construction form four years to one and a half. Because construction on the highway would have resulted in persistent traffic delays for the 55,000 vehicles that cross the bridge each day, the use innovation and technology reduced impacts to the traveling public by more than 80%. This increased safety for motorists and construction workers alike.