AASHTO Journal, 7 October 2011
Beshear said the two states have worked together to develop an aggressive plan to repair and reopen the bridge as soon as it is safe to do so.
“I am grateful that [Federal Highway] Administrator Victor Mendez has personally pledged to expedite the necessary federal reviews of this project, and I am hopeful that with incentives and innovative management from the construction bidders, that we will be able to reopen even sooner,” Beshear said in a statement.
To repair the bridge, new steel plating will be installed along both sides of the bridge tie that runs horizontally along the entire 1,600-foot structure. This will increase the bridge’s safety and reliability, according to the Indiana and Kentucky transportation departments. The repairs will give the bridge at least 20 more years of useful life.
During the additional bridge testing, other weld defects were found at numerous locations that confirmed closing the bridge was the appropriate decision for public safety, the two DOTs stated.
The two states will share bridge repair costs equally. An incentive of $100,000 per day will be offered for each day the winning contractor finishes work before the target completion date, with a cap of $5 million.
More information is available at 1.usa.gov/SMbridge.