Short Closing
Milton-Madison
Bridge
to close only 10 days during
construction of new bridge
Contract
awarded to
innovative bridge design-build team
Staff Report
INDIANAPOLIS (October 2010) – Indiana Gov. Mitch
Daniels on Sept. 28 announced the long-anticipated replacement of the
Milton-Madison Bridge will be completed years ahead of schedule, at
20 percent less cost and with significantly less disruption than originally
estimated.
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According to the new plan, the bridge will be closed for
only 10 days during construction rather than an anticipated year-long
closure of the U.S. 421 bridge connecting Madison, Ind., with Milton,
Ky.
“I’ve encouraged INDOT to be creative and think differently,
and here is a great example of innovation that makes a great outcome
even better. Kentucky and Indiana both benefit from the competition
created by using our design-build bidding method,” said Daniels.
The low bid submitted by Walsh Construction Co. of LaPorte, Ind., for
$103 million, is 20 percent below the original $131 million construction
estimate. It was also the only proposal that offered a plan that closed
the bridge for less than a year. The new bridge superstructure
is expected to be open to traffic atop rehabilitated vertical piers
by Sept. 15, 2012, making it the fastest bridge ever to be built over
the Ohio River.
The innovative construction method will slide the 3,181-foot-long truss
into place along steel rails and plates. Walsh teamed up with Buckland
& Taylor Ltd., which designed the similar Old Capilano Bridge replacement
in North Vancouver, British Columbia. That bridge also was only
closed a few days while a new span was constructed next to it and later
slid into place.
Construction plans designed by Buckland & Taylor Ltd. and Burgess
& Niple Engineers of Columbus, Ohio, for the Milton-Madison Bridge
will be reviewed and approved prior to construction to ensure they adhere
to modern safety standards.
The project received a $20 million federal grant in February, and the
remaining cost of the project will be evenly split by both states.
“Governor Beshear and the Kentucky Department of Transportation
staff are great partners, and we appreciate the Federal Highway Administration
support for this project,” said Daniels.
The Milton-Madison Bridge was built in 1929 and is too narrow for modern
traffic. Its estimated remaining useful life is 10 years. The new bridge
will look similar to the existing steel truss, but will include wider
lanes and accommodations for bicycles and pedestrians.
• For more information about the project, visit: www.MiltonMadisonBridge.com.