H&H provided specialty engineering services for the design of a custom jacking frame for the replacement of the  Sunshine Skyway Bridge approach span elastomeric bearings.

The custom frame was supported on the narrow waterline footings and had to accommodate the bridge cross-slope.  In addition to supporting a total jacking load of almost 800 tons and meeting the tight geometry, the frame had to also be collapsible.  The system was configured so that two half-frames sandwiched the pier.  Each half of the frame system is supported on a clevis.  The clevis pin was actuated by a hydraulic cylinder in order to be easily removed and replaced in the field.  The clevis pin support allowed the half-frame to be transported horizontally and then rotated about the secured base into place. This system allowed the contractor to triple the initial estimates of the bearing replacement rates.

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge crosses Tampa Bay with a cable-stayed main span, and a total length of 21,877 feet. It is part of I-275 (SR 93) and US 19 (SR 55), connecting St. Petersburg in Pinellas County and Terra Ceia in Manatee County, Florida.