Milton-Madison Bridge Dedication Let the party begin – Governors, mayors, dignitaries
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(November 2014) | |||||||||||||||
After four years of construction, including two flooding delays caused by Mother Nature and a complete shutdown to traffic caused by a dislodged beam in March, the final step in building the new Milton-Madison Bridge takes place Oct, 28 – the formal dedication ceremony.
Both Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence are expected to take part in the ceremony, along with many local and regional officials and dignitaries and the general public. Madison Mayor Damon Welch and Mayor Denny Jackson of Milton, Ky., are scheduled to speak as well, along with Kentucky State Rep. Rick Rand and Michael Cline, former commissioner of Indiana Department of Transportation. Jack Couch, executive director of Kentucky Regional Planning and Development Agency, will serve as master of ceremonies.
The ceremony will feature a ribbon-cutting and highlight the innovative solution used to replace the original bridge, which opened in 1929 and stood for 88 years. At nearly a half-mile long, the new bridge became the longest bridge in North America – and perhaps the world – to be slid laterally into place when it was moved 55 feet from temporary piers onto refurbished permanent piers this past April. The bridge was constructed by Walsh Construction Co., and the project garnered several engineering awards and much attention from the international engineering community.
The two governors also will unveil the builder’s plates, which in late October were mounted on the upright beams entering both ends of the bridge.
Also saved from the bridge project was a 21x60-foot barge impact frame that was used to protect one of the piers from barges during construction of the new bridge. The barge impact frame, with the addition of concrete, has been repurposed as a boat dock at the Milton Boat Ramp. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet also has pledged $25,000 toward construction of a permanent restroom at the boat dock. The city is in charge of contracting for this project.
Meantime, to help celebrate the bridge dedication, the U.S. Postal Service has created a one-of-a-kind postmark, whose image was created by Milton artist Vickie Eldridge. The special postmark will be available beginning at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, at the Milton Post Office, 21 High St. Mail order requests for the special cancellation will be available for 30 days. Customers should allow at least a 2x4-inch space in the stamp area for the postmark and have postage applied to cards or letters before mailing them — inside another envelope — to the post office. In addition to the special cancellation, the post office will be selling a limited number of postcards featuring the postmark and a painting of the old Milton-Madison Bridge. The painting was done by Eldridge as well. Eldridge owns Apple Tree Studio in Bedford, Ky., and her husband, Dennis, is a rural relief carrier at the Bedford Post Office. Cost of the postcard is $1, which includes one of the recently released Hudson River Forever stamps. Don Ward is the editor, publisher and owner of RoundAbout. Call him at (812) 273-2259 or email: Don@RoundAbout.bz. |
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