Merchants Bridge

Background:

The new truss bridge has 3 520’ spans. The 133 year old bridge has exceeded its design life. The Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis, Amtrak, and 5 Class I freight railroads all use this bridge.

In 2018 this project was awarded to Walsh Construction. The project required the installation of twelve R. J. Watson Disktron Bearings. This project was officially completed on September 15th, 2022, and is now open to traffic.

Bearing Technical Information:

12 disc bearings (6 fixed, and 6 guided expansion)

Vertical Load – 5,550 kips

Horizontal Load – 10% of the vertical load

Longitudinal Displacement – 16”

Transverse Displacement – 0.25”

Rotation – +/- 0.015 radians (service load)

About Disktron Bearings