I was fortunate enough to be at the new Tacoma Narrows bridge when it opened. I was amazed at how proud the people of Tacoma were of their new bridge. We at American Crane & Equipment Corp. (ACECO) are proud of our little piece of the project also.
We designed and manufactured the bridge travelers for the new bridge. They are the moving work platforms state Department of Transportation personnel will use to maintain the bridge.
I understand that the $1.6 million spent on the travelers is about 0.22 percent of the bridge cost, but we like to think they are an important piece of the puzzle.
I was disappointed that there was no mention in The News Tribune’s coverage of our equipment, especially since there was a “why wasn’t it made in America” theme to several articles. I assure Tacoma that workers can drive our travelers under the bridge for years to come with confidence and pride knowing that they were, indeed, Made in America. (Keller is an electrical engineer with ACECO.)
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