Bridge Collapse in Kentucky - Eggner's Ferry Bridge, US 68/KY 80

Started by seicer, January 26, 2012, 11:38:33 PM

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Alps

Hoping the road/ship will stay there till this weekend, then I'll make my mad dash. If it comes off by Friday, I'll have to postpone.


hbelkins



Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

codyg1985

^ We have had a ton of rain here in northern Alabama the past few weeks, so all of that water is headed that way if it isn't there already.
Cody Goodman
Huntsville, AL, United States

hbelkins



Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

codyg1985

Cody Goodman
Huntsville, AL, United States

Stephane Dumas


hbelkins

http://tinyurl.com/76pestf (redirects to Murray Ledger & Times story)

They're talking about getting a ferry service going, and possibly building a temporary span (with temporary piers) to fill the gap in the current bridge.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

rickmastfan67

Awesome video there! 5 of 5 stars.

BTW HB, I fixed the "direct" link in your post.  If it was clicked, it wouldn't lead to the video and YouTube said it was malformed. ;)

Stephane Dumas


hbelkins

Quote from: rickmastfan67 on February 17, 2012, 06:20:46 AM
Awesome video there! 5 of 5 stars.

BTW HB, I fixed the "direct" link in your post.  If it was clicked, it wouldn't lead to the video and YouTube said it was malformed. ;)

Not sure what the problem was with that. That was the link that the YouTube page itself provided.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

hbelkins

http://migration.kentucky.gov/newsroom/governor/20120224eggnersexecorder.htm

A state of emergency has been declared that hopefully can grease the skids for FHWA funding for repairs.

A ferry is probably out of the question as a temporary option, due to environmental concerns, paperwork and bureaucracy nightmares on the LBL side, and impacts to the boat ramp at the state park on the western shore.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

qguy


mightyace

^^^

Apparently, they blame the bridge...

QuoteAlthough the crash remains under investigation, lights on the bridge apparently weren't working the night of the incident and the ship tried to pass under one of the lower, outer spans instead of the higher, center lane.
My Flickr Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mightyace

I'm out of this F***KING PLACE!

hbelkins

Big news about the bridge:

Gov. Beshear announces repair of Eggners Ferry Bridge by Memorial Day
Expedited procurement to save tourism season in Lakes region;
Same contractor repaired I-64 Sherman Minton Bridge in Louisville

FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 8, 2012) — Gov. Steve Beshear today announced the award of an emergency contract to repair and reopen the damaged Eggners Ferry Bridge over Kentucky Lake by Memorial Day weekend — saving the crucial summer tourism season for the region around Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area.

The contract, with a low bid of $7 million, was awarded by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) to Hall Contracting of Kentucky Inc. — the company that last month completed repairs ahead of schedule to reopen the Interstate-64 Sherman Minton Bridge in Louisville.

The Eggners Ferry Bridge, which carries U.S. 68 and KY 80 across Kentucky Lake between Marshall and Trigg counties in western Kentucky, has been closed since the night of Jan. 26, when a cargo vessel struck and tore away a 322-foot-long span of the 80-year-old bridge.

"Since the night the bridge was struck and the highway was severed, we have worked with one thought in mind — to get this bridge repaired and Route 68/80 reopened as quickly as possible,"  Gov. Beshear said. "We have never lost sight of the damage that the loss of this bridge is doing to area businesses and the toll it has taken, in time and fuel costs, on folks who have been forced into long detours to get from one side of the lakes to the other."

To save valuable time, and shave several months off the project, KYTC opted to make an emergency solicitation rather than go through its customary construction procurement process, in which a project is designed and put out for bids. The cabinet instead invited a select group of prequalified bridge contractors to submit bids by 2 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 7.

Contractors were given access to original design plans and recent inspection reports for the bridge. Each contractor was instructed to submit a lump-sum price that included all costs for engineering, materials, labor and equipment needed for repairing the bridge's pier caps, replacing the truss span and reopening the bridge. The critical requirement is to reopen the bridge to traffic by Sunday, May 27. The contract includes a penalty of $50,000 per day for missing that deadline.

Two other companies besides Hall Contracting submitted proposals:
·         Walsh Contracting, of Crown Point, Ind. — $11.2 million
·         C.J. Mahan, of Grove City, Ohio — $11.4 million

The project requires a new asphalt or concrete deck 20 feet wide, comporting with dimensions of the rest of the existing bridge, and a railing system at least as strong as the existing rails. In addition, the truss must be given one primer coat of paint that closely resembles the color of adjacent spans.

KYTC gave serious consideration to adding a ferry service to the area to accommodate traffic, but ultimately chose not to implement it.  The bridge carried nearly 2,700 cars per day, and at best, a ferry could carry only 40 cars per hour.  This would create an unreasonable bottleneck.  Second, a ferry service would likely demand the construction of access roads, as well as possible dredging of the lake to allow the ferry's safe passage.  By the time those accommodations were finished, the bridge would be likely close to completion. 

The Eggners Ferry Bridge is obsolete, as is a similarly aged and sized bridge over nearby Lake Barkley. Both are being replaced with four-lane bridges in a project that is still in preconstruction phase. The recommended highway plan that Gov. Beshear sent to the General Assembly on Jan. 17 provides $330 million in construction funding for the two bridges combined.

###


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

agentsteel53

interesting how two of the bids were right next to each other, and the third was significantly lower.  what does Hall know that the other two don't know? 

is there a bonus for early completion?  I know when the support at the MacArthur Maze in the east bay (I-580 to I-80 ramp, IIRC) burned, the contractors finished the job several days early and were paid handsomely extra for it.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

hbelkins

As far as I know, no bonus (unlike the Sherman Minton Bridge). I'm told that KYTC folks in the western part of the state argued for an early completion bonus but were unsuccessful.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Stephane Dumas

I wondered by curiosity if there some plans and/or artists renderings to see how the future bridge to replace the old one will look somewhere on the www?

hbelkins

I haven't seen anything. I'm sure it will be ugly as a Clearview interstate shield since it's just a temporary fix.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Alps

Well, they say similar. I think I'll put this off till a little after Memorial Day and let the bridge reopen, that way I can come get all the photos I want.

hbelkins

I honestly don't know how they expect to erect those sections with trusses in 2 1/2 months. I was told they might have to erect some temporary piers for the missing section.

After the bridge opens, I'm going to try to go down there myself. Might even end up scouting for a meet.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

kharvey10

trusses can be built off-site and floated into place - that is what some of the bridges (especially railroad) were built back in the day.  The railroad companies still do this to an extent.

tvketchum

Quote from: kharvey10 on March 09, 2012, 02:02:19 PM
trusses can be built off-site and floated into place - that is what some of the bridges (especially railroad) were built back in the day.  The railroad companies still do this to an extent.
The Milton Madison bridge is being replaced in just this manner....

seicer


hbelkins

Actually, they are doing it off-site and are going to take them by barge to the bridge. A press release went out on it this afternoon. I will have to find it and post the gist of it.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

hbelkins

The bridge is going to open tomorrow.

From 9 a.m. to noon CDT tomorrow, there will be a "Bridge Day" event where people will be allowed to walk or bike across the bridge. After a short ceremony at noon, the bridge will open to vehicular traffic around 1 p.m.

Sorry for the short notice, but this was just announced this afternoon. Not quite enough time for anyone interested to load up and head to western Kentucky.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.



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