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Work Delayed On Meridian Bridge Repair As New Contractor Sought
By Nathan Johnson
nathan.johnson@yankton.net
The beginning of repair work on the Meridian Bridge has been temporarily delayed as a new contractor is sought for the project.
The Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) had been negotiating with Jensen Construction, which is the contractor for the Discovery Bridge, to complete the estimated eight-week project. However, NDOR officials said this week that the company has declined to do the work.
A NDOR official said Friday he does not know the reason for Jensen Construction’s leaving the project, but he said two additional contractors visited the site this week. The NDOR is currently in negotiations with a new contractor, he said.
“It’s priority one of the Nebraska Department of Roads construction division to secure a contractor to get this work done,” said Scott Brummond, a highway project manager for northeast Nebraska. “It’s an emergency to try to get a contractor secured so we can get this work in progress.”
The repair process will be broken into two phases. During the first projected four-week phase, traffic will be allowed on the Meridian Bridge as crews work to repair external gusset plates from the ground below the structure. The second four-week phase will require complete closure of the bridge as work is done on the span’s inner gusset plates.
“They have to take some pretty structurally important parts of the bridge off so that they can put these new inner gusset plates on,” Brummond said. “You can’t have any traffic running across the deck when the deck is really unsecured.”
Earlier this month, the NDOR and the South Dakota Department of Roads (SDDOT) jointly decided to put a 10-ton weight restriction on the 84-year-old bridge until repairs can be made.
Brummond said the NDOR will work around events like Yankton’s Fourth of July celebration, if possible. For example, if phase one is completed July 1, it will wait until after the holiday to begin phase two, he said.
However, Yankton Interim City Manager Al Viereck said the day-to-day effects of a total bridge closure will prove to be the biggest challenge to the community.
“Even load limits curtail some business to our community. It’s extremely expensive to truckers to have to go 30-40 miles out of their way and double that to come back,” he said. “Plus, the idea of total closure for a while — that is going to affect sales tax revenue, which is obviously one of our livelihoods.”
Many of Yankton’s employees commute from Nebraska every day, Viereck pointed out.
“The good news is, commuters won’t have that big of a detour,” he said. “They’ll be able to go across the dam. With trucks, you don’t have that ability.”
The dam’s usual seven-ton weight limit has now been lifted to a 10-ton limit, according to Viereck. Larger vehicles are still being asked to cross the river at Vermillion and Springfield.
In order to accommodate the influx of potentially thousands of additional vehicles every day, Brummond said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to put new striping on the Gavins Point Dam and will put in supplemental stoplights to assist the flow of traffic.
“It will probably be a work in progress,” he said. “They may have to time the signals a little bit different than they currently do.”
Discussions are already under way among area officials to figure out how the burden on local commuters and businesses can be lightened as the repair work proceeds, Viereck said. Car-pooling and busing will be among the options explored, he said.
Ron Peterson, the Yankton area engineer for the SDDOT, said officials are optimistic work on the new bridge will not be held up by the Meridian Bridge issues.
“They’re still fairly well on track with the schedule they’ve been working toward all along,” he said. “They’re getting their concrete out of Hartington (Neb.) now instead of Yankton.”
Officials stressed that enforcement of the weight restriction on the Meridian Bridge is a serious matter. The SDDOT has contracted with a security firm to man the bridge around the clock, Peterson said. Brummond added that the Nebraska Highway Patrol is also in the area 24 hours a day. Last weekend, it issued 21 citations to weight restriction violators.
NDOR and SDDOT officials encourage everyone to stay patient and positive in the face of the difficulties the repair project poses.
“We’re trying to expedite things as quickly as possible,” Peterson said.
The Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) had been negotiating with Jensen Construction, which is the contractor for the Discovery Bridge, to complete the estimated eight-week project. However, NDOR officials said this week that the company has declined to do the work.
A NDOR official said Friday he does not know the reason for Jensen Construction’s leaving the project, but he said two additional contractors visited the site this week. The NDOR is currently in negotiations with a new contractor, he said.
“It’s priority one of the Nebraska Department of Roads construction division to secure a contractor to get this work done,” said Scott Brummond, a highway project manager for northeast Nebraska. “It’s an emergency to try to get a contractor secured so we can get this work in progress.”
The repair process will be broken into two phases. During the first projected four-week phase, traffic will be allowed on the Meridian Bridge as crews work to repair external gusset plates from the ground below the structure. The second four-week phase will require complete closure of the bridge as work is done on the span’s inner gusset plates.
“They have to take some pretty structurally important parts of the bridge off so that they can put these new inner gusset plates on,” Brummond said. “You can’t have any traffic running across the deck when the deck is really unsecured.”
Earlier this month, the NDOR and the South Dakota Department of Roads (SDDOT) jointly decided to put a 10-ton weight restriction on the 84-year-old bridge until repairs can be made.
Brummond said the NDOR will work around events like Yankton’s Fourth of July celebration, if possible. For example, if phase one is completed July 1, it will wait until after the holiday to begin phase two, he said.
However, Yankton Interim City Manager Al Viereck said the day-to-day effects of a total bridge closure will prove to be the biggest challenge to the community.
“Even load limits curtail some business to our community. It’s extremely expensive to truckers to have to go 30-40 miles out of their way and double that to come back,” he said. “Plus, the idea of total closure for a while — that is going to affect sales tax revenue, which is obviously one of our livelihoods.”
Many of Yankton’s employees commute from Nebraska every day, Viereck pointed out.
“The good news is, commuters won’t have that big of a detour,” he said. “They’ll be able to go across the dam. With trucks, you don’t have that ability.”
The dam’s usual seven-ton weight limit has now been lifted to a 10-ton limit, according to Viereck. Larger vehicles are still being asked to cross the river at Vermillion and Springfield.
In order to accommodate the influx of potentially thousands of additional vehicles every day, Brummond said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to put new striping on the Gavins Point Dam and will put in supplemental stoplights to assist the flow of traffic.
“It will probably be a work in progress,” he said. “They may have to time the signals a little bit different than they currently do.”
Discussions are already under way among area officials to figure out how the burden on local commuters and businesses can be lightened as the repair work proceeds, Viereck said. Car-pooling and busing will be among the options explored, he said.
Ron Peterson, the Yankton area engineer for the SDDOT, said officials are optimistic work on the new bridge will not be held up by the Meridian Bridge issues.
“They’re still fairly well on track with the schedule they’ve been working toward all along,” he said. “They’re getting their concrete out of Hartington (Neb.) now instead of Yankton.”
Officials stressed that enforcement of the weight restriction on the Meridian Bridge is a serious matter. The SDDOT has contracted with a security firm to man the bridge around the clock, Peterson said. Brummond added that the Nebraska Highway Patrol is also in the area 24 hours a day. Last weekend, it issued 21 citations to weight restriction violators.
NDOR and SDDOT officials encourage everyone to stay patient and positive in the face of the difficulties the repair project poses.
“We’re trying to expedite things as quickly as possible,” Peterson said.
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