Project Snapshop
Project: Interstate 80 Overpass Raising
Location: Between Sacramento and Auburn, California
Application: Raising seven highway overpasses
Challenge: Increase truck clearance while reopening the freeway after each eight-hour overnight closure
Solution: A 32-jack hydraulic system with 4,000 tons of combined capacity
Result: Overpasses raised up to 18 inches within controlled nighttime work windows
Seven overpasses along Interstate 80 between Sacramento and Auburn needed additional clearance for large trucks. Although the bridges remained structurally sound, repeated highway resurfacing had gradually reduced the available clearance beneath them.
RGW Construction worked with CH Bull to develop a system capable of raising each overpass safely while keeping freeway closures to no more than eight hours per night.
The Challenge
Some areas beneath the overpasses provided only about six inches of clearance for taller trucks. Each bridge needed to be raised by as much as 18 inches without disrupting traffic beyond the limited overnight closure.
Crews also needed enough time during each shift to prepare the bridge supports, complete the lift, secure the structure, and reopen Interstate 80 to eastbound and westbound traffic.
Preparing the Bridges for Lifting
Concrete around the bridge bents was cut and removed to expose the existing reinforcing steel. Hydraulic jacks were then positioned to support the bridge load before the reinforcing bars were cut and the lift began.
Temporary steel support structures were installed around the bents to hold and stabilize the raised bridge sections.
The CH Bull Solution
CH Bull high-tonnage jacking specialist Stan Sheppard designed a hydraulic system using 32 calibrated jacks with a combined capacity of approximately 4,000 tons, or eight million pounds.
CH Bull also supplied the pumps, hoses, manifolds, and calibrated gauges required to operate and monitor the system. Special vacuum manifolds helped control the cycling of the load-return jacks, allowing crews to reset the equipment quickly within the limited overnight schedule.
A central control area allowed the project team to monitor and coordinate the lift across the different jacking points.
Watch the Newcastle Bridge Raise
This video shows one of the Interstate 80 overpasses being raised 18.5 inches during the overnight work window.
Project Outcome
The custom hydraulic system provided RGW Construction with the capacity and control required to raise the seven Interstate 80 overpasses by as much as 18 inches.
By combining calibrated high-tonnage jacks, rapid jack cycling, and coordinated controls, CH Bull helped crews complete each lift safely within the scheduled overnight closure and restore highway traffic on time.
Need Support for a Bridge Raising Project?
CH Bull supplies high-tonnage hydraulic jacks, pumps, manifolds, controls, and complete equipment systems for bridge lifting, structural positioning, and controlled load movement.