Dewberry's Cross Bay Bridge Rehabilitation project in Queens County, New York, was recently selected by Roads & Bridges magazine as a 2011 Top Bridge.

Dewberry worked for the MTA Bridges and Tunnels - Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority on the $58-million deck and drainage rehabilitation. Constructed in 1970, the Cross Bay Bridge carries traffic to and from the Far Rockaway Peninsula over Jamaica Bay and is used extensively during the summer months for beach access. The project was constructed by El Sol Contracting & Construction Corp.

The design of the existing 275-foot long navigation span was unique and presented challenges to the project team that a normal rehabilitation project would not require. During inspection, Dewberry identified the critical elements and developed non-invasive and invasive techniques for assessing the span's condition. As a result, an innovative strengthening scheme using glued steel plates provided the best solution from a constructability, maintenance and long term cost standpoint.

On the bridge deck, chlorides from road salts and windblown bay water seeped through the asphalt and into the concrete causing the reinforcement to corrode and the concrete to spall. The solution to this issue included adding corrosion inhibitors and shrinkage reducing agents to the closure pour concrete, increasing the thickness of the closure pours, and spray-applying a waterproof membrane overlaid with a Superpave asphalt wearing surface.