August 25, 2026
The Wicomico River is a 24.4-mile tributary of the Chesapeake Bay and a vital shipping, commercial fishing and recreational waterway on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. In Salisbury, Maryland, two movable bridges carry roadway traffic across the river while also supporting marine navigation through one of the region’s active waterfront corridors.
Specialty Underwater Services (SUS) served as the lead contractor on a $5.6 million bridge rehabilitation project for the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) involving the MD 991 Wicomico River Bridge and the US 50 Ocean Gateway Bridge. Construction began in spring 2025 and was completed in July 2026.
The project combined commercial diving, underwater concrete rehabilitation, timber fender replacement, epoxy crack injection and heavy pile-driving operations within a narrow, environmentally sensitive marine work zone.
The rehabilitation effort included work on two critical drawbridges spanning the Wicomico River. The MD 991 Wicomico River Bridge, originally completed in 1928, is a double-leaf movable bascule bridge listed on Maryland’s National Register Properties as a significant example of Milwaukee-type bridge design from the early twentieth century.
The US 50 Ocean Gateway Bridge is also a critical drawbridge serving daily commuter, commercial and marine traffic throughout the Salisbury region. Together, the two structures support both land-based transportation and continued navigation along the Wicomico River.
SUS crews performed rehabilitation work on the bridges’ underwater and marine components, including concrete repairs, fender system replacement and dolphin system reconstruction. The work required close coordination between commercial divers, marine construction crews and pile-driving operations to maintain progress while working around existing structures and active river traffic.
A major portion of the project involved underwater concrete rehabilitation on bridge piers and abutment faces. SUS crews completed approximately 4,500 square feet of underwater concrete demolition and replacement throughout the project.
Diver enters water for underwater concrete rehabilitation.
Commercial dive crews first installed turbidity curtains to support environmental protection during in-water work. Also, the dive crews performed underwater epoxy crack-injection repairs to restore deteriorated concrete components and extend the service life of the bridge substructure.
Additional rehabilitation activities included removal and replacement of existing timber fender systems, removal of deteriorated timber dolphin clusters, and installation of new wire bands around existing timber dolphins. These improvements were designed to strengthen the bridges’ marine protection systems and improve long-term performance in an active waterway.
The project’s primary marine construction scope centered on demolition and reconstruction of the dolphin systems. SUS removed existing timber dolphin clusters and installed five new dolphin clusters to provide vessel impact protection near the movable bridges.
Each new dolphin cluster consisted of seven 24-inch-diameter, ½-inch-wall steel pipe piles measuring 90 feet in length. Each pile included a full-depth epoxy-coated reinforcing steel cage and was filled with 5,000 PSI concrete.
Pile installation was performed using major marine construction equipment, including a Link-Belt LS-248 Series II 200-ton crane, an HPSI 500 vibratory hammer and a Pileco D30-32 diesel impact hammer. Following pile installation, SUS installed protective pile wraps manufactured from recycled tires to improve long-term durability and provide additional vessel impact protection.
One of the project’s most significant challenges was installing large-diameter piles within a highly confined marine corridor. At its narrowest point, the river width in the work area was approximately 60 feet.
The limited working area required careful planning for crane positioning, pile handling, equipment access and navigation control. Crews had to maintain safe marine construction operations while working in close proximity to existing bridg elements, adjacent properties and active river traffic.
SUS coordinated work sequencing to maintain navigational access while completing pile installation and rehabilitation activities. The confined waterway also required coordination with adjacent property owners so portions of the pile installation work could be performed from land-based work areas. This approach helped minimize impacts to the surrounding community while allowing crews to maintain project production goals.
Because of the age and condition of nearby historic buildings, vibration control was a key consideration during pile-driving operations. Vibration monitoring instrumentation was used throughout pile installation to protect adjacent infrastructure and verify compliance with project vibration thresholds.
This monitoring program helped the project team manage risk while driving 24-inch steel pipe piles near existing structures. By pairing pile-driving equipment selection, work sequencing and vibration monitoring, SUS was able to safely complete the marine construction scope within the project’s constrained urban waterfront setting.
The successful completion of the Wicomico River Bridge Rehabilitation Project demonstrated SUS’s ability to combine commercial diving, structural concrete rehabilitation, fender replacement and heavy pile driving on a complex marine construction project.
Working within a narrow waterway, adjacent to historic structures and active transportation infrastructure, SUS delivered critical improvements to two movable bridges serving Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The project restored deteriorated underwater components, strengthened vessel protection systems and extended the service life of two important crossings over the Wicomico River for years to come.
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