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Repairs To Begin On Meridian Bridge Before End Of Week
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| Several gusset plates, though not the one shown here in a photo taken a few years ago, will be reinforced on the Meridian Bridge in coming weeks as Jensen Construction undertakes the repair project. (Photo: South Dakota Department of Transportation) |
Officials Unsure How Long It Will Take To Fix Structure Issues
By Nathan Johnson
nathan.johnson@yankton.net
Transportation officials say they hope a contractor can begin to work on repairing the Meridian Bridge by the end of the week.
Jensen Construction, also the contractor for the neighboring Discovery Bridge, was asked to investigate the issues on the Meridian Bridge and is contemplating how best to complete the repairs. A 10-ton gross weight limit was imposed on the 84-year-old structure Friday.
“The problem is, we don’t know how long it’s going to take to repair the bridge,” said Kris Winter, the Nebraska Department of Road’s (NDOR) district engineer for northeast Nebraska. “We really won’t know until the contractor starts into it. It’s tedious work and not something most guys do every day, so it’s pretty hard to estimate how long it’s going to take. Now that we know a little bit more, we’re thinking (two weeks to do the repairs) might be optimistic. We just don’t know.”
The NDOR and the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) are working jointly to address the situation.
Meanwhile, Winter said the load limit on the Meridian Bridge is delaying some work on the Discovery Bridge. Concrete for the deck of the structure has been coming from South Dakota.
“They had a concrete pour scheduled for (Tuesday) that had to be canceled,” she said. “My understanding is, Jensen Construction is going to concentrate on (repairing the Meridian Bridge).”
A subcontractor working on the new Highway 81 alignment to the Discovery Bridge has made progress because it is getting concrete from Hartington, Neb., Winter added.
The weight restriction on the Meridian Bridge was implemented after an analysis of data collected during a routine inspection of the structure in April revealed that some of its gusset plates had corroded faster than transportation officials had expected.
Although calculations showed that the bridge should be able to handle heavy truck traffic, some uncertainty over just how much thickness remained on the gusset plates left some doubt, according to Kevin Goeden, the SDDOT’s chief bridge engineer.
“Rather than gamble on our measurements for the thickness that was remaining on those plates, we thought it best to go through and repair them to be sure,” he said. “Safety is our number one priority.”
Gusset plates are used to rivet together intersecting steel beams on the bridge.
“If your gusset plates fail, you lose the transfer of load between the members,” Goeden said. “They can separate and move apart. It’s something you don’t want to occur.”
If it did, it would be a situation similar to what happened when a bridge collapsed in Minneapolis last year, he added.
During the repair process, Goeden said the rivets will be drilled out of the suspect gusset plates and steel plates will be placed over them. High-strength bolts will then be inserted instead of rivets, which are not typically used anymore, according to Goeden.
“There’s really one gusset plate that caused us to do this load restriction,” he said. “But as long as we’re there and able to make the fix, we thought it prudent to go ahead and fix all four of these we have some concern over.”
Gusset plates located on the exterior of the bridge will be easier to reinforce than those on the interior, Goeden explained.
“The contractor is probably going to get started on the exterior plates first. That, we don’t think, is going to require a full closure of the bridge. There may be some one-way traffic,” he said.
“The interior plates may require full closure. I don’t know how long the duration will be,” Goeden added.
SDDOT officials hope that the repairs made in coming weeks will be effective enough to incorporate into the conversion of the Meridian Bridge into a bicycling/pedestrian trail in the coming year after the Discovery Bridge is opened.
“That’s something we’ll have to talk over and evaluate,” Goeden said. “We’re putting plates on plates that are currently corroding. It depends on what kind of life we think we can get out of those plates. We’re hoping to do that. It’s just not certain at this point.”
Officials Still Working Out Details Of Load Limit Enforcement
After the Yankton City Commission was asked Monday night by South Dakota Transportation Commissioner Ralph Marquardt to assist the state in monitoring truck traffic across the bridge, city officials said Tuesday their help was no longer being sought.
Commissioners gave city staff direction to visit with state officials about what help the police department could provide.
“We haven’t been requested to give any more assistance,” Police Chief Duane Heeney said Tuesday afternoon. “But we’re willing to assist where we can.”
Alan Welsh, assistant district commander of District Two of the South Dakota Highway Patrol, said the situation is being handled by his agency, and SDDOT traffic control employees may also become involved.
“We’re not doing a 24-hour watch, but we have been monitoring it during the heavier traffic hours,” he said.
While there have been reports of trucks crossing the bridge, Welsh said officers have not encountered any difficulties while on the scene.
“Our main goal with that bridge is not necessarily enforcement. It’s a safety issue,” he said. “We’re hoping to not be writing a bunch of tickets. We’re just trying to keep overweight loads from going across the bridge. That’s why we’ve stationed people there.”
However, if drivers of heavy vehicles decide to disobey the numerous warnings posted along the state’s roadways and cross the bridge, they could be fined and may even have their commercial license revoked, Welsh stated.
Nebraska Highway Patrol officials could not be reached Tuesday afternoon, but Welsh said they have occasionally employed mobile scales on the Nebraska side of the bridge. He didn’t know if any drivers had been cited there.
Winter offered a simple message to drivers of heavy vehicles, alluding to the very serious safety concerns transportation officials harbor.
“If you’re over 10 tons, stay off the bridge,” she said. “If we keep getting reports of people going over the bridge that might be loaded too heavy, where we will have to go is to close the bridge — and we just don’t want to go there.”
Jensen Construction, also the contractor for the neighboring Discovery Bridge, was asked to investigate the issues on the Meridian Bridge and is contemplating how best to complete the repairs. A 10-ton gross weight limit was imposed on the 84-year-old structure Friday.
“The problem is, we don’t know how long it’s going to take to repair the bridge,” said Kris Winter, the Nebraska Department of Road’s (NDOR) district engineer for northeast Nebraska. “We really won’t know until the contractor starts into it. It’s tedious work and not something most guys do every day, so it’s pretty hard to estimate how long it’s going to take. Now that we know a little bit more, we’re thinking (two weeks to do the repairs) might be optimistic. We just don’t know.”
The NDOR and the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) are working jointly to address the situation.
Meanwhile, Winter said the load limit on the Meridian Bridge is delaying some work on the Discovery Bridge. Concrete for the deck of the structure has been coming from South Dakota.
“They had a concrete pour scheduled for (Tuesday) that had to be canceled,” she said. “My understanding is, Jensen Construction is going to concentrate on (repairing the Meridian Bridge).”
A subcontractor working on the new Highway 81 alignment to the Discovery Bridge has made progress because it is getting concrete from Hartington, Neb., Winter added.
The weight restriction on the Meridian Bridge was implemented after an analysis of data collected during a routine inspection of the structure in April revealed that some of its gusset plates had corroded faster than transportation officials had expected.
Although calculations showed that the bridge should be able to handle heavy truck traffic, some uncertainty over just how much thickness remained on the gusset plates left some doubt, according to Kevin Goeden, the SDDOT’s chief bridge engineer.
“Rather than gamble on our measurements for the thickness that was remaining on those plates, we thought it best to go through and repair them to be sure,” he said. “Safety is our number one priority.”
Gusset plates are used to rivet together intersecting steel beams on the bridge.
“If your gusset plates fail, you lose the transfer of load between the members,” Goeden said. “They can separate and move apart. It’s something you don’t want to occur.”
If it did, it would be a situation similar to what happened when a bridge collapsed in Minneapolis last year, he added.
During the repair process, Goeden said the rivets will be drilled out of the suspect gusset plates and steel plates will be placed over them. High-strength bolts will then be inserted instead of rivets, which are not typically used anymore, according to Goeden.
“There’s really one gusset plate that caused us to do this load restriction,” he said. “But as long as we’re there and able to make the fix, we thought it prudent to go ahead and fix all four of these we have some concern over.”
Gusset plates located on the exterior of the bridge will be easier to reinforce than those on the interior, Goeden explained.
“The contractor is probably going to get started on the exterior plates first. That, we don’t think, is going to require a full closure of the bridge. There may be some one-way traffic,” he said.
“The interior plates may require full closure. I don’t know how long the duration will be,” Goeden added.
SDDOT officials hope that the repairs made in coming weeks will be effective enough to incorporate into the conversion of the Meridian Bridge into a bicycling/pedestrian trail in the coming year after the Discovery Bridge is opened.
“That’s something we’ll have to talk over and evaluate,” Goeden said. “We’re putting plates on plates that are currently corroding. It depends on what kind of life we think we can get out of those plates. We’re hoping to do that. It’s just not certain at this point.”
Officials Still Working Out Details Of Load Limit Enforcement
After the Yankton City Commission was asked Monday night by South Dakota Transportation Commissioner Ralph Marquardt to assist the state in monitoring truck traffic across the bridge, city officials said Tuesday their help was no longer being sought.
Commissioners gave city staff direction to visit with state officials about what help the police department could provide.
“We haven’t been requested to give any more assistance,” Police Chief Duane Heeney said Tuesday afternoon. “But we’re willing to assist where we can.”
Alan Welsh, assistant district commander of District Two of the South Dakota Highway Patrol, said the situation is being handled by his agency, and SDDOT traffic control employees may also become involved.
“We’re not doing a 24-hour watch, but we have been monitoring it during the heavier traffic hours,” he said.
While there have been reports of trucks crossing the bridge, Welsh said officers have not encountered any difficulties while on the scene.
“Our main goal with that bridge is not necessarily enforcement. It’s a safety issue,” he said. “We’re hoping to not be writing a bunch of tickets. We’re just trying to keep overweight loads from going across the bridge. That’s why we’ve stationed people there.”
However, if drivers of heavy vehicles decide to disobey the numerous warnings posted along the state’s roadways and cross the bridge, they could be fined and may even have their commercial license revoked, Welsh stated.
Nebraska Highway Patrol officials could not be reached Tuesday afternoon, but Welsh said they have occasionally employed mobile scales on the Nebraska side of the bridge. He didn’t know if any drivers had been cited there.
Winter offered a simple message to drivers of heavy vehicles, alluding to the very serious safety concerns transportation officials harbor.
“If you’re over 10 tons, stay off the bridge,” she said. “If we keep getting reports of people going over the bridge that might be loaded too heavy, where we will have to go is to close the bridge — and we just don’t want to go there.”
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