Industry · Bridge Construction
Bridge work.
From the water up.
Pier work, pile caps, cofferdams, falsework, crane platforms under live spans. Our sections pin together to whatever pier-to-pier dimension you've got, then re-pin for the next pier as the bridge moves down the alignment.
Overview
Bridges get built off a deck that doesn't move.
A bridge over water is one of the meaner jobs in heavy civil. Every pier, every pile cap, every girder pick, every deck pour has to come off a deck that doesn't drift, doesn't roll under load, and doesn't shut down the river under it. The platform is as critical as the structure — and most of the schedule problems we hear about start with the wrong barge under the wrong crane.
Bridge contractors across Canada and the US use our sections for pier work, cofferdam install, falsework support, crane staging, and deck-pour access. Pin four sections together for a tight pier; pin twelve for the deepest one; re-pin the same fleet for the next one over. One purchase, every pier on the job — and the next bridge after that.
Built from CSA G40.20 / G40.21 structural steel, stamped by a P.Eng., Transport Canada approved. The paperwork your insurance carrier, bonding company, owner, and inspector are going to want is already in the box. Two-lane county crossing or multi-pier highway bridge over a major river — same system scales to fit.
Applications
What our barges do on a bridge job
Pier work platforms
Pin sections around new and existing piers — stable working deck at any pier, any current, any river stage.
Crane support
Heavy Duty Crane sections handle crawlers and hydraulic cranes for girder picks, segment lifts, and deck-pour access. Crane mat compatible.
Cofferdam install
Spudded platforms hold station while the sheet piling crew templates, drives, and braces the cofferdam.
Pile caps & pours
Standard sections give you the surround for rebar tying, formwork, and concrete on caps and footings.
Falsework support
Multi-section configs stage falsework and shoring for cast-in-place spans and segmental builds.
Inspection & rehab
Existing-bridge inspection, repainting, joint replacement, underdeck repair — all easier from a level deck.
Why sectional
Why bridge guys choose modular over fixed.
The traditional alternatives are chartering a single big deck barge for the duration, or commissioning a custom one-off. Both have problems on a bridge. The big chartered hull rarely fits between piers, takes a tug to reposition, and locks you into one shape for an 18-month job. The custom build is expensive, slow to fab, and useless the day the ribbon gets cut. Sentinel sells sectional barges outright — you own the fleet, and it earns on every job after this one.
Sectional fixes both. Your super changes the geometry on-site as the work moves between piers, around obstructions, or across changing channel widths. Wider for a deck pour, narrower for a tight pier, L-shape to work both sides of a pier at the same time. When the bridge is done, the same fleet rolls onto the next bridge job, the next dredge, or the next dock build. Steel that keeps earning.
For crane-heavy work — segment lifts, precast girders, deck pours — the Heavy Duty Crane Barge with internal spuds gives a crawler the rigid level deck it actually needs. Standard sections handle pier-base work, cofferdam access, and crew movement. Mix the two for a complete bridge fleet.
Spec guide
Sizing the platform to the bridge.
Most bridge contractors start with four to eight Standard sections for general pier work. That's a 40×40 to 40×80 deck around a typical pier — enough room for formwork, rebar staging, a small genset, and crew movement without people stepping on each other. Add Heavy Duty sections under the crane footprint when you bring a crawler in for girder picks, cap caging, or deck pours.
On a multi-span, plan for the worst pier on the job — deepest water, strongest current, longest span between supports — and size to that one. Every easier pier on the alignment will fit the same fleet. Send us the plan-and-profile during the quote and we'll mark up a section count and configuration plan against your pier list.
Spuds matter a lot on bridge work. Internal spud wells on the Heavy Duty sections let you anchor against current without dragging anchors across the bed (often a permit problem) and without needing tug help every time you reposition. 20 ft, 30 ft, and longer spuds cover most river depths — we'll spec diameter and well count to your hammer setup, current speed, and bed conditions.
Spec it for your job
Spec a bridge-construction barge fleet.
Send the plan-and-profile, your pier list, your crane chart, and your hammer setup. We'll come back with a section count, spud configuration, and stamped-drawing package sized to the worst pier on your alignment — every easier pier will fit the same fleet.
AEO
Bridge Construction FAQ
Direct answers about heavy deck barges, charter terms, and global delivery.
- Most pier crews run four to eight Standard sections — that's a 40×40 to 40×80 deck around the pier. Crane piers add Heavy Duty sections under the crawler. Send us your pier list during the quote and we'll spec it.
- Yes — with the right spuds set into the bed it holds station in moderate-to-strong current. For heavy current we go to multiple spud points for redundancy and longer spuds for deeper bite.
- Yes. Stamped drawings and Transport Canada approval ship with every section — the documentation owners and DOT inspectors expect for work under live spans.
- That's the design intent. Sections re-deploy with no modification. Most of our bridge customers run the same fleet across five to ten bridge jobs over the life of the steel — and on dredging, dock, and pile work in between.
- Standard fleet builds usually ship in 8–14 weeks depending on section count, spud config, and shop backlog. If you've got a hard NTP date, call us early — we can often sequence delivery to match your mobilization.