Taking shape in Taylor is the first section of the dual-arch Gateway Bridge - a pair of matching, east-west 246-foot-long spans that will serve as a landmark for Metro Airport travelers headed along I-94 to and from Detroit.

Called a "modified tied-arch," the Gateway Bridge will carry I-94 traffic over Telegraph Road. The Gateway Bridge project will cost $14 million, which is about $2 million more than a traditional overpass. But a combination of grants - plus contributions from local communities that agreed with the Michigan Department of Transportation to make the span something special - made up the cost difference.

The spans, which were fabricated by PDM Bridge in Wisconsin, were pre-assembled there before shipment to assure a good fit during re-assembly in Taylor.

"I know we've learned a lot from building the first bridge, which should make the second one easier," said Jim Davenport, project foreman for Whaley Steel, the steel erecting contractor. "Probably the most important thing we've learned is the rigging, and the best way to lift the pieces."

Work was scheduled to start this month on the second span. The manpower fluctuates, but generally 50-60 Hardhats work on the project at peak employment.

"Working on this bridge has been a real eye-opener," said Mike Malloure, project manager for C.A. Hull, which is in charge of bridge-work as a subcontractor for Dan's Excavating. "Not many people have seen this style of bridge before. There have been a few like this around the country, but this is the first in Michigan."

Malloure said there are a number of challenges in building the bridge, agreeing with Davenport that rigging and lifting heavy arch sections, and then twisting them into place at a 60-degree angle, is one of the biggest difficulties. He said the heaviest section of steel is 142,000 lbs.

The 110-foot-tall arch sections are essentially hollow boxes of steel, virtually from end to end, Malloure said. The chambers within the steel boxes were welded shut and then pressurized at the factory. The result: arches that will remain rust-free because of the lack of moisture and humidity within the hollow sections. "That's the theory," Malloure said, adding that the second Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron was erected with the same kind of hollow steel.

"We've had some minor problems with fit; nothing major," Davenport said. "For a one-of-a kind bridge things have gone really smooth.".

The arches and their suspended cables will hold up a concrete bridge deck. Originally, the arches were to be colored red - but MDOT later decided on a more aesthetically pleasing shade of blue.

Larry Yost, chairman and CEO of ArvinMeritor, Inc, who helped foster the process of building the non-traditional bridge, said: "With visitors from all over the world coming to Detroit, we must do everything possible to create a vital and welcoming environment that will encourage them to consider Michigan as an exceptional place to live and do business."

Malloure concluded: "I think it's a pretty nice bridge."

BOLTING A CROSS-MEMBER onto the deck of the first Gateway Bridge in Taylor are Iron Workers Local 25 members Jim Davenport, Brian Robinson, Bob Baudoux, Fred Hitchcock, and John Grunans. Operating the crane is Curt Genegler of Operating Engineers Local 324. They were working for Whaley Steel and CA Hull.

THE 246-FOOT LONG and 110-foot tall Gateway Bridge is the first of two spans.