Stiver Engineering was engaged by Forde Construction to provide structural engineering support for the salvage and removal of a historic iron truss bridge along the banks of the San Jacinto River in Montgomery County. Our scope focused on developing a safe, precise lifting plan to extract the collapsed structure and clear the waterway for navigation.
The bridge, a one-lane iron truss span that once connected Conroe to Montgomery along old Texas State Highway 105, had stood for decades before being replaced by the modern FM 2854 corridor. In late January 2024, the deteriorated structure collapsed into the flooded river, requiring careful engineering coordination to recover.
Stiver Engineering developed a comprehensive lifting plan built around two 85-foot W14x109 wide-flange beams, braced by four 8-inch Schedule 80 pipe cross struts to maintain frame spacing and rigidity throughout the lift. Ten evenly spaced 5/16-inch Grade 100 alloy chains were wrapped beneath the bridge to distribute the load across the structure. The lifting configuration incorporated four primary lift points, two per side, spaced symmetrically, with pad eyes welded to the top flange of each beam at the designated lift locations. The load path transferred through 5/8-inch Grade 100 alloy chains and 1-1/4-inch shackles to a spreader bar and ultimately to the crane hook.
The entire system was engineered to balance the load evenly, protect the structure from further damage during extraction, and ensure all lifting components met required Working Load Limits and Factors of Safety.
This project reflects Stiver’s ability to deliver constructible, safety-critical structural solutions for complex salvage and recovery operations, supporting public waterway access and infrastructure clearance in coordination with local contractors and government stakeholders.
