Thursday, December 04, 2008

Supporting an Engineering Marvel

WireCo® WorldGroup to Supply MacWhyte® Wire Rope Suspenders

David Hornaday
Senior Vice President – Corporate Administration
WireCo WorldGroup
816-270-4710

Kansas City, MO - WireCo® WorldGroup has been awarded the contract for MacWhyte® wire rope suspenders and cables to be used on the new San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge. The distinctive, single tower structure will be the world's longest single-span, Self-Anchored Suspension (SAS) bridge. This new bridge, slated for completion in 2013, marries art, functionality, and safety to create an unparalleled engineering and architectural landmark. The bridge project is managed by Cal Trans, the transportation authority for the State of California; the superstructure is being built as a joint venture of American Bridge and Fluor Enterprises.

The MacWhyte® wire rope suspender and cables that WireCo® WorldGroup will engineer for this project include 75mm and 90mm wire rope suspension hangers, which connect the floating bridge box girders and the tower. As a result, the SAS will be the first suspension bridge engineered to require no connection between the tower and the deck. In addition, the company will supply the hand rope assemblies that allow access to the 2.56-foot diameter main cable. WireCo® WorldGroup’s proven quality record and reputation was critical to the contract award on a project where there can be no compromise when engineering and manufacturing to precise lengths and tolerances as well as meeting critical delivery schedules.

Using an elegant, futuristic design that mixes form with function, the new structure will carry daily traffic in excess of 280,000 vehicles or more than 102 million vehicles yearly. The bridge’s single tower rises 525 feet providing a signature design, allowing the longest unsupported span between piers for an SAS bridge. The bridge connects the 1.2-mile elevated skyway viaduct from Oakland to Treasure Island (formerly Yerba Buena Island) with two, parallel roadways (each with five lanes) and a 15-foot-wide cantilevered bicycle/pedestrian path.

WireCo® WorldGroup’s wire rope, structural strand, bridge security systems, high carbon wire, and electromechanical cable products are used throughout the world in a wide range of applications, including oil and gas exploration; surface and underground mining; construction; and specialty lifting and suspension applications. The firm has supplied highly engineered MacWhyte ® branded products for other notable suspension bridge projects, such as the Carquinez Bridge in California, the Manhattan Bridge in New York City, and the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit, MI. In 2007, WireCo® WorldGroup provided MacWhyte®  cables assemblies on four of the five bridges receiving national project honors from the National Steel Bridge Alliance.

Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, WireCo® WorldGroup employs approximately 1,900 people and operates manufacturing plants, distribution facilities, and research and development centers in the U.S., Mexico, Germany, and China. WireCo® WorldGroup markets the brands of Union®, MacWhyte®, Casar®, Camesa®, Wireline Works, and US Reel™ and is the only major wire rope manufacturer in the world to be API certified, QPL Qualified, AS9100 certified,and ISO-9001:2000 registered. For more information, visit wirecoworldgroup.com.

WireCo® WorldGroup’s parent company, Paine & Partners, LLC, provides equity capital for management buyouts, private transactions, and company expansion and growth programs. Paine & Partners engages exclusively in friendly transactions developed in cooperation with a company’s management, board of directors, and shareholders. For further information, visit http://www.painepartners.com.