Case Study: Beating the Clock: How VDOT and HYTORC Streamlined the James River Bridge Project
The James River Bridge is a critical vertical-lift-style bridge that serves as a major artery for Virginia commuters. Connecting Newport News and Isle of Wight County via US-17, the bridge handles over 25,000 vehicles every single day. When the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) announced a project to replace all 80 of the bridge’s wire ropes, the pressure was on to minimize the impact on traffic.
Challenge: 80 Wire Ropes and a 100-Hour Deadline
The project required replacing the massive wire ropes that allow the bridge's movable span to be raised for marine traffic. VDOT scheduled two separate 100-hour closures to get the job done. These shutdowns halted all vehicle and marine travel, meaning every minute mattered.
Chris Burford, Territory Manager with HYTORC Virginia, was brought in to provide a solution for two specific needs: 1) loosening the weathered nuts on the old cables and 2) precisely tensioning the 80 new replacement cables. Because the bridge is so heavily traveled, the solution had to be powerful, reliable, and easy for contractors to use without a steep learning curve.
With the implementation of the STEALTH 36 tools and 5.75 links, VDOT completed the job ahead of schedule. The contractors have been praising the tool and service from HYTORC Virginia; they’ve had a lot of great things to say about the HYTORC tools. - Chris Burford, Territory Manager, HYTORC Virginia
HYTORC Solution: The STEALTH Hydraulic Torque Wrench
To meet the high pressure demands of the project, the team used the low-profile STEALTH hydraulic torque wrench because of its unique combination of power and maneuverability.
- Incredible Power: The STEALTH delivered torque ranging from just under 5,000 foot-pounds to over 34,700 foot-pounds.
- Portable Design: The tool weighs a manageable 88 pounds, making it good for high-elevation bridge work.
- Low Profile: Its slim design allowed contractors to work effectively in the limited clearance areas within the bridge towers.
- Reversibility: One of the biggest time-savers was the tool's reversibility. To switch from loosening old hardware to tensioning the new cable, workers simply had to flip the tool over.
Results: Finishing 29 Hours Ahead of Schedule
The combination of skilled contractors and the right equipment led to overwhelming success. By using the STEALTH tools with 5.75 links, the project didn't just meet the 100-hour deadline—it beat it by a mile.
While the first phase was completed ahead of schedule, the second phase saw an even more impressive result: the team finished the work a full 29 hours earlier than planned. This massive time savings allowed the bridge to reopen to the public over a day early, significantly reducing the burden on the 28,000 daily commuters.
Looking Forward
The success of the James River Bridge project has strengthened the ongoing partnership between VDOT and HYTORC. As a result, they planned to use the same setup—using the STEALTH with specialized links— for subsequent VDOT projects.
