Panama City is Piling It On
October 7, 2026
The DuPont Bridge Replacement project serves as a critical infrastructure corridor carrying State Road 30 (SR30) over the St. Andrews Bay Intracoastal Waterway to strengthen vital civilian and military mobility in eastern Bay County, Florida. Situated just 2 miles from Tyndall Air Force Base, the new 2750' (ft) alignment carefully accounts for the military glide path while providing an elevated deck designed to reduce storm surge impacts and adapt to future sea level rise. This massive $350 million initiative replaces an aging four lane structure with twin bridges featuring a total of four 12' (ft) travel lanes alongside wider shoulders and 12' (ft) barrier separated shared use paths with scenic overlooks. The entire engineering plan incorporates a soaring 75' (ft) vertical clearance that safely accommodates large marine vessels navigating the busy shipping channel below with an official completion scheduled for mid-2030.
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) selected Scott Bridge Company, alongside partner Massman Construction Co., as the premier design build team to lead this highly technical marine infrastructure effort. Known for engineering excellence and deep-water expertise this contracting team is uniquely qualified to manage the complex environmental permitting and strict United States Coast Guard coordination required for the channel crossing. Working with lead designer Parsons, they bring nearly a century of heavy civil innovation and precise technical capability needed to build resilient foundations capable of withstanding severe vessel collision forces and deep-water scour conditions. Their combined workforce operates with elite efficiency to manage heavy marine logistics and maintain active traffic flow while erecting massive new concrete segments over open water.
Deep foundation operations out in the bay rely on advanced equipment, including a rugged ICE® 22 vibratory hammer from International Construction Equipment, Inc. (ICE®) used to drive interlocking steel sheet piles for a critical new cofferdam. Equipped with high pressure Hydrauli-Flex™ hoses this specialized machinery safely creates a stable dry enclosure within the riverbed so crews can seamlessly pour the first seal slab and advance the surrounding substructure work. This high-performance gear provides the immense force necessary to push the project past major milestones with test piles now 95% complete and concrete production piles reaching 67% driven into the bay floor. As the heavy machinery completes pile groups, teams quickly shift cranes to place large riprap rock protection and construct the massive concrete footings columns and horizontal pier caps that distribute the superstructure weight.
Both the local commuters traversing Bay County and the team at International Construction Equipment extend their profound appreciation to Scott Bridge Company and Massman Construction Co. for their masterful execution of this generational project. Local residents and military personnel celebrate the careful progress protecting the natural coastal environment while constructing a safer, more resilient gateway for the region. ICE® takes great pride in supplying the heavy-duty tools that empower exceptional contractors to safely reshape vital public infrastructure and elevate community safety for decades to come.
Learn more about the ICE® 22
Need Hydraulic Hose Fast? We've Got You Covered.
Whether you're running a crane, excavator, or keeping your shop truck in top shape, downtime isn't an option--and neither is settling for second-rate parts. At HydraulicHose.com, we stock the exact hose kits, bundles, fittings, and adapters your equipment demands.
From high-pressure lines to custom assemblies, we carry the hose they use--built to perform, built to last.
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Media Contact-
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA
Vice President
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc
The Hose Company
Office - 704-821-8200
Email - marketing@iceusa.com/info@hydraulichose.com
Award-Winning Innovation: Project UPDATE
October 4, 2026
The massive redevelopment of the Grand Bahama Shipyard has officially culminated in industry-wide recognition, shifting from an ambitious vision into an award-winning operational reality as 2026 draws to a close. Moving far beyond initial projections, this fast-track design-build expansion successfully established the premier Caribbean hub as the largest cruise ship repair facility in the world. The complex project required navigating active shipyard logistics, tight marine traffic lanes, and unpredictable hurricane seasons while injecting an estimated $350 million annually into the regional economy and generating over 1,000 full-time jobs for Bahamians. This historic maritime transformation is now complete, marked by the arrival of the record-breaking 2XL floating dry dock structure, which was transported in a single piece onboard the heavy-lift ship Boca Vanguard and floated directly into its permanent mooring.
Orion Marine Construction Bahamas, LLC and Orion Engineering were chosen to spearhead this ambitious maritime expansion due to a legendary century-long corporate legacy of delivering complex marine infrastructure on time and within budget. Celebrated for their elite marine and civil engineering capabilities, the Orion team designed and constructed a pile-supported finger pier, four dry dock mooring dolphins, and 14 pile-supported access structures while managing the dredging of 500,000 cubic yards of material. Faced with a remote island environment where redundant fleet assets or replacement parts were entirely unavailable, Orion carefully sequenced operations to maintain continuous production. Their expert engineering team even devised an innovative buoyancy-assisted tandem lifting method using a temporary pile plug to submerge and upend massive piles, keeping extreme 85-ton loads safely within the capacity of their onsite crane fleet and earning Orion Marine the prestigious 2026 Pile Driving Contractors Association Project of the Year Award.
To anchor this record-breaking infrastructure into changing subsurface layers, Orion Marine partnered with International Construction Equipment, Inc. to rent a high-performance deep foundation fleet capable of driving steel pipe piles measuring up to 84" in diameter and over 120' in length. As originally highlighted in the ICE® Grand Bahama Shipyard job story in 2025, the crew first deployed the high-efficiency ICE® 130C Vibratory Hammer to rapidly advance the heavy steel through loose sandy soils, utilizing its massive 415 tons of driving force and a maximum frequency of 1450 vpm. Because the vibratory system faced intense pressure variables and harsh Caribbean temperatures, ICE® relied on ultra-durable Hydrauli-Flex™ hydraulic hoses to ensure seamless fluid transfer and precise control without risking project downtime. Once the piles reached underlying bedrock, impact driving operations transitioned to the heavy-duty ICE® D-100 Diesel Hammer paired with rigid ICE® 98" OS Leaders to seat the piles into hard limestone. This powerful diesel hammer delivered an incredible impact energy of up to 258.7 kNm per blow, holding strict placement tolerances of plus or minus 1" while a Saximeter monitoring system tracked hammer strokes to verify stable rock-bearing installation.
The resounding success of this monumental shipyard expansion brings immense pride to the local community, with Grand Bahama residents celebrating a secure economic future filled with sustainable, high-skilled career opportunities. International Construction Equipment, Inc. extends its deepest appreciation to the visionary professionals at Orion Marine for trusting our cutting-edge foundation technology to anchor a new era of global maritime excellence. Congratulations on winning this award!
Learn more about the ICE® D-100 Diesel Hammer, ICE® 130C Vibratory Hammer and assortment of ICE® Leads & Spotters
Need Hydraulic Hose Fast? We've Got You Covered.
Whether you're running a crane, excavator, or keeping your shop truck in top shape, downtime isn't an option--and neither is settling for second-rate parts. At HydraulicHose.com, we stock the exact hose kits, bundles, fittings, and adapters your equipment demands.
From high-pressure lines to custom assemblies, we carry the hose they use--built to perform, built to last.
Shop now and keep your machines moving.
Media Contact-
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA
Vice President
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc
The Hose Company
Office - 704-821-8200
Email - marketing@iceusa.com/info@hydraulichose.com
