US FUSION Completes Complex ABM Installation on Fort Lauderdale's New River

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, UNITED STATES, October 7, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- US FUSION & Specialty Construction, a 100% employee-owned specialty plastics contractor based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has completed a significant installation project on Fort Lauderdale's New River. The company, founded in 1989 with over 35 years of experience, has installed 55 Synthetex AB400 Articulating Block Mattress (ABM) scour protection panels across three bridge crossings, marking a substantial improvement in the area's waterway safety.

The project, which required the installation of 17 ABM panels at the SE 3rd Avenue Bridge, 22 panels at the Andrews Avenue Bridge, and 16 panels at the SW 4th/7th Avenue Bridge, was a complex undertaking. US FUSION's dive team, consisting of one diver supervisor and five diver mechanics, worked in shifts, with up to two divers in the water at a time. The installation process involved customizing ABM fabric bags on site, positioning and zip-connecting panels around existing bridge piles, pumping concrete grout into the panels through 8-inch filling sleeves, hand-packing grout around piling connections, and jetting anchor trenches on the upstream and downstream sides of each panel run.

The New River project presented unique challenges, including strong tidal currents, heavy yacht traffic, and the need to coordinate with multiple stakeholder groups. The site, located along Fort Lauderdale's Riverwalk district, is a critical transit route for yachts moving in and out of the city's marinas. US FUSION had to ensure that the installation did not disrupt boat traffic and adhered to manatee protection laws.

Field conditions required US FUSION to adapt its plan after mobilization. Crews encountered significant debris on the river bottom, necessitating the leveling of the riverbed before ABM panels could be installed. The project lead also re-verified each bridge's actual field dimensions against the original survey data used to fabricate the ABM bags, modifying panels where field conditions differed from the survey. This quality-control step ensured a seamless fit once the panels were in the water.

The project's scope was further expanded due to the presence of strong tidal currents, which reached speeds of up to 6 mph. To overcome these challenges, US FUSION's team developed and tested multiple installation methods, ultimately settling on an approach that worked with the tide rather than against it. The team maintained continuous marine-radio contact with bridge operators, coordinating up to three radio channels and a cell phone at once, to ensure divers were clear of the water before allowing boat traffic to pass.

To keep panel-filling operations on schedule, US FUSION directly coordinated with the concrete and grout supply from the batch plant, timing deliveries to match the pace of grout pumping into the ABM panels' filling sleeves. The installation process involved pumping concrete grout into the panels through 8-inch filling sleeves, hand-packing grout around piling connections, and jetting anchor trenches on the upstream and downstream sides of each panel run.

US FUSION & Specialty Construction, with its headquarters in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and additional facilities in La Porte, Texas, provides a range of services, including geosynthetic containment, marine erosion control, and Fabric-Formed Concrete (FFC) installation. The company serves clients in the energy, LNG, petrochemical, refining, power, data center, manufacturing, municipal, and government sectors across the Gulf South and nationally. Through its US RUBBER & Specialty Applications brand, US FUSION provides industrial rubber lining and specialty coating systems for tanks, vessels, and piping.