Miracle Mile
Community
celebrates kickoff
of history making Bridge Project
Two
governors, U.S. Transportation Secretary
join in groundbreaking ceremony in Madison
By
Don Ward
Editor
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January
2011 |
(January 2011) – For the next two years beginning
in January 2011, residents and visitors to Milton, Ky., and Madison,
Ind., will witness an engineering feat taking place across the Ohio
River. The Milton-Madison Bridge Replacement Project already has garnered
the attention of architects and engineers and trade publications around
the country. Soon, it will become the focal point of everyday life for
local drivers making the 3/4-mile-long crossing over the river as they
watch the new bridge take shape.
Local officials, two governors and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray
LaHood celebrated the official groundbreaking of the project Nov. 30
with hundreds of area residents at the Brown Gym in Madison. The occasion
included speeches and ceremonial photographs of dignitaries posing with
shovels in front of a huge banner proclaiming: “Move that bridge!”
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear also took
part in the celebration.
“These two governors stepped up and worked together to make a difference
in their two states,” said LaHood in praising the cooperative spirit
that he said has made the project possible. He also praised U.S. Rep.
Baron Hill of Indiana whom he credited for requesting and pushing for
the $20 million in federal stimulus money that was granted to help pay
for the project.
“You can rest assured that your tax dollars are being used in this
project to fix an aging infrastructure and put people to work, and it
was all done in a bipartisan way.”
What began only two years ago with public hearings and meetings to explore
the location of a new bridge across the Ohio River has already resulted
in the launch of work to actually build a new bridge atop existing piers.
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Milton-Madison
Bridge 1. Existing
bridge pier strengthening: January - September 2011. |
What’s more amazing is the unique method by which
winning contractor Walsh Construction Co. of La Porte, Ind., will get
the $103 million job done – and at roughly 20 percent less than
the original estimate of $131 million. The company’s proposal to
build the new superstructure on temporary piers to be erected 15 feet
downstream from the existing bridge and then slide the new steel structure
into place atop the existing piers is being hailed as a miracle. That’s
because the four other bidders on the project planned to shut down the
existing bridge for up to a year during the project, forcing area commuters
to cross the river aboard a ferry service. Prior to that, the local
business community had been bracing for the worst. Students and workers
who must cross the river each day for school or work dreaded what could
have been a long wait. No one knew what to expect.
But Walsh teamed with two other companies to propose only 10 total days
of bridge closure during the two-year-long project – five
days in July 2011 and five days in fall 2012.
Crisis averted. But can they deliver on their promise? That is a question
many in the community are wondering.
Now all eyes are on the river as the long-awaited construction process
begins and area officials scramble to re-assess their plans to offset
any negative economic impacts the project might create. A tentative
construction scheduled was released in early December, providing answers
to many questions about the project.
A public information meeting has been scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 11, at the new Milton Elementary School to present an
overview and update of the bridge design-build project and all recent
changes to the plan since Walsh Construction Co. was awarded the contract.
Preliminary work began in December as soil sampling took place on both
sides of the river in preparation for the construction of temporary
ramps to route traffic onto the existing bridge from the east. Meantime,
trailers were brought and set up at Jaycee Park at the Madison riverfront
to serve as the offices for Walsh Construction Co.
In December, four large trenches were dug on the east side of the existing
bridge on the Milton side that was part of preliminary archaeology work
that must precede construction.
In the initial stages of the project, traffic will be diverted onto
the existing bridge via a ramp to be built at the Milton Boat Dock.
The bridge will be closed for approximately five days in July 2011 to
re-route traffic onto new ramps to be built on both sides of the river.
On the Milton side, a construction staging area is being prepared near
the water pumping tower just west of the existing bridge. Walsh Construction
Co. plans to build the new steel superstructure on barges that will
be moored there.
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"I
have every confidence that Walsh Construction is going to do what
they say they’re going to do." |
Beginning in July 2011, work will begin to strengthen
and widen the tops of the existing piers to eventually hold the new
superstructure. From July to November 2011, temporary piers will be
erected in the river on the west, or downriver, side of the existing
bridge. The new superstructure will then be mounted on the temporary
piers and in May 2012 traffic will be diverted onto the downstream bridge
while the existing bridge superstructure is demolished. Small explosives
will likely be used to detach the existing superstructure from the piers
in sections, allowing them to fall into the river. The sections of old
bridge will be collected by crane and hauled to the scrapyard.
Then the downstream bridge will close for five days in fall 2012 as
the bridge-sliding process occurs. It will move so slowly – 50
feet in five days – that the motion will not even be visible to
the naked eye. When finished, the new bridge is scheduled to open to
traffic in September 2012, according to the terms of the contract.
Aaron Stover, project manager for Michael Baker Engineering, which is
overseeing the construction by Walsh, said the temporary piers will
be comprised of steel pipes and columns. “They won’t be real
attractive but they will serve the purpose. They will be designed for
safety to withstand weather and wind and traffic. We only call them
temporary piers because of their duration in use; not because of structural
integrity or ability to withstand traffic.”
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Photo
by Don Ward Kentucky
Gov. Steve Beshear displays |
John Carr, consultant with Wilber Smith Associates, which
has overseen the project, said he was pleased with the community support
he has encountered throughout the process and praised local officials
for working together to make it happen.
“I’ve been involved in consulting for bridge building for
40 years and this is the fastest bridge project I’ve seen in all
of those years,” he said “It’s also the most innovative
approach to building a bridge.”
As for any public concerns about the reality of a 10-day closure or
the use of the unique bridge-sliding approach, Carr said, “I have
every confidence that Walsh Construction is going to do what they say
they’re going to do.”
Meantime, web cameras will be positioned near the bridge on the Madison
side to record the construction project from beginning to end. The images
will be broadcast on the project’s official website: www.MiltonMadisonBridge.com.
The project is expected to attract architects and engineers from around
the world to watch the bridge-sliding take place, Carr said. Both the
demolition of the old bridge into the river and the bridge-sliding of
the new superstructure are expected to attract hundreds of spectators
from the region to witness the history making event.
“That will really be something to see in itself,” he said.
In fact, local officials are proposing yet another bridge kickoff event
when the downstream bridge opens to traffic to provide excitement and
convey a message that the temporary bridge is safe.
“This is a monumental event in our history, and we need to plan
another event to mark the opening of the temporary bridge to help offset
any concerns about safety,” said Jan Vethrus. “We need to
come up with some type of publicity stunt.” Vethrus heads the bridge
mitigation committee that has been meeting monthly to help manage the
economic impacts to the two communities and oversee the use of marketing
money to be provided by the project.
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Project Facts • Beginning
Jan. 3, part of Vaughn Drive in Madison will be closed between
Ferry Street and St. Michael's Avenue. Workers will be mobilizing
equipment to be used for approaches and causeway construction. The
closure will remain until the completion of the bridge project
in late 2012. The official detour will be approximately seven
blocks long and will use Ferry Street, State Road 56 (S.R. 56),
Second Street and St. Michaels Avenue. Source: Interviews with project team and INDOT officials |
Linda Lytle, executive director of the Madison Area Convention
and Visitors Bureau, said her office has been getting dozens of calls
from people asking one of two questions: When is the bridge closing?
And will this temporary bridge be safe for crossing?
“We have a challenge ahead to educate the public that the bridge
is not closed and that the temporary bridge will be safe,” she
said. “We wish we were advertising something about it right now.”
Madison Main Street Program Executive Director Rhonda Deeg said, “There’s
lots of confusion out there right now about the bridge, so we have our
work cut out for us. We need to get started soon.”
At a Dec. 7 meeting at Clifty Inn, bridge consultants and representatives
from various local agencies ironed out a revised economic mitigation
agreement that offers little change to the original plan, including
the provision of $405,000 in economic aid to the community over two
years.
The plans keeps intact the following
• $205,000 in marketing money for the City of Madison.
• $40,000 in marketing money for the City of Milton
• $80,000 over two years for Madison Main Street Program to assist
local businesses via promotions, seminars and other related activities.
• $80,000 over two years to hire a Historic Preservation Officer
to work on grants and other assistance for improvements to the Madison
Historic District.
One major change to the agreement is the cancellation of a 24-hour a
day, two-vessel public ferry service that was projected to cost $5 million.
Instead, a ferry boat may be provided for emergency vehicles only.
During that meeting it was confirmed by INDOT officials and bridge consultants
that expenditure of the mitigation marketing money could begin immediately,
since the contract allows for it to be spent eight months prior to any
bridge closure. Any money spent will be reimbursed later up to the pre-approved
funding levels for each community. Madison plans to use about $70,000
of its economic mitigation money to complete the marketing component
of the city’s Branding Project that began a year ago, Lytle said.
A separate Branding Committee is meeting monthly to guide those plans
and coordinate marketing efforts with the re-opening of the new bridge
in 2012, she said.
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Photo
by Don Ward A large group of dignitaries took part in the Milton-Madison Bridge Groundbreaking Ceremony Nov. 30 by donning shovels and posing in front of a large banner that read: “Move That Bridge.” From left they are Indiana State Rep. Dave Cheatham; Milton Mayor Denny Jackson; Jack Couch, executive director of the Kentucky Council of Area Development Districts; Michael Hancock, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary; INDOT Commissioner Michael Cline; Kentucky State Rep. Rick Rand; Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear; Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels; U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood; Madison Mayor Tim Armstrong; Trimble County Judge-Executive Randy Stevens; and U.S. Rep. Baron Hill of Indiana. |
The bridge mitigation committee met Dec. 17 to begin planning its marketing campaign. The City of Milton, meanwhile, has undergone a recent change in leadership and it is not yet determined who will oversee the town’s bridge spending activity, according to Mayor Denny Jackson. In December, he appointed Milton resident Debbie Crawford to represent Milton on the bridge mitigation committee. Lytle announced at the Dec. 7 meeting that her office has offered assistance to Milton in managing the spending of its marketing money. But Carr said that arrangement has not been accepted by Milton officials.