Tulsa-based Manhattan Road & Bridge Co., Manhattan Construction Group’s heavy highway infrastructure subsidiary specializing in bridge construction, has acquired assets and select project contracts of Jensen Construction Co. (South Division). Jensen specializes in overwater bridge construction and is the oldest operating subsidiary of The Rasmussen Group, Des Moines, Iowa.
“The Jensen acquisition bolsters our marine-based structures and bridge-building capability with additional expertise and enhanced equipment resources,” said Manhattan Construction Group President Larry Rooney. “We look forward to continuing the long tradition of marine construction work that Jensen brings to the table. This is especially beneficial as it adds to our work in Oklahoma and Arkansas, enhances our reach throughout the southeast, and enhances our Florida operations.”
Completed on April 21, 2023, the acquisition includes a marine fleet of more than 52,000 square feet of inland marine barges, tug, and work boats and assumes three notable bridge projects. These projects include the Oklahoma Department of Transportation Rogers County US412 westbound bridge over the Verdigris River and Muskogee County US62 eastbound and westbound bridges over the Arkansas River near Muskogee, Oklahoma, and Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development Caddo Parish Highway 1 bridge over Caddo Lake, near Mooringsport, Louisiana.
“Jensen Vice President Brad Peterson and employees of Jensen’s South Division team members will be integrated into Manhattan, raising Manhattan Road & Bridge’s employment total to approximately 500 employees,” said Manhattan Road and Bridge President Mike Webb. “We are thrilled to welcome Jensen’s team members into our Manhattan family of builders.”
“The decision to sell Jensen’s operations was extremely difficult and brought mixed feelings,” said Jeff Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Group. “Many of our employees worked their entire careers with us and people have always been our best asset, so ensuring they were cared for was a top priority.
“Manhattan Road & Bridge’s President Mike Webb has a long-standing relationship with my family dating back to the 1970s with my father, Jim Rasmussen, and John Deering,” Rasmussen continued. “These relationships were instrumental in making this acquisition between our family and the Rooney family’s Manhattan Construction Group.”
Manhattan Road & Bridge Co. provides bridge and heavy infrastructure construction services in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida. Work includes bridge construction and repair, pile-driving services, and decorative and stained concrete bridge construction for government entities, private railroads, and port and dock operators.
Founded in 1896, Manhattan Construction Group is a fifth-generation Rooney family-owned construction services company, co-headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Naples, Florida. Manhattan serves building, civil, pipeline, and specialty construction segments in the U.S., Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Reprinted from Marine Construction Magazine Issue IV, 2023
