Explosive Demolition at the Milton-Madison Ohio River Bridge

[seicer]

Milton-Madison Bridge's Main Span Demolished

The Milton-Madison Bridge connects Milton, Kentucky to Madison, Indiana and carries US 421 over the Ohio River. The historic two-lane Cantilever was rehabilitated in 1997, but was deemed to be in poor structural condition by 2006. Rehabilitation options were considered for the crossing, which would have extended the life of the bridge another ten years before needing additional work. Ultimately, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) agreed to replace the aging span in the summer of 2008.

A construction contract was awarded to Walsh Construction for $103.9 million in September 2010 and ground was broken on November 30. Construction began two months later which involved strengthening the existing piers and constructing temporary approach spans to allow for the replacement of the original approaches. Construction on a 600-f00t truss began along the banks of the river, and was floated upstream and lifted into place onto temporary piers adjacent to the existing bridge. A second truss, 727-foot long, was then constructed and lifted onto temporary piers. The remaining components for the bridge were constructed on top of the temporary piers using conventional cranes.

Traffic was rerouted onto the new bridge via temporary ramps in April 2012, and on June 3, 2013, vehicles were switched to the new trusses, allowing for the removal of the bridge decks on the old spans. On July 23, a 700-foot span over the main navigational channel was demolished with small explosive charges from Advanced Explosives Demolition.

The use of temporary piers and ramps will lead to a total bridge closure time of less than ten days, less than an earlier projected closure date of one year. The new bridge, which will include a pedestrian sidewalk and bike lanes, is expected to open by September 2013.

Below: The demolition of the main span of the Milton-Madison Bridge on July 23.

More on the Milton-Madison Bridge »

[agentsteel53]

looks like the demolition was not 100% successful?  or was the bridge intended to be hanging on to its pier still waiting for one final blast to sever it?

[AsphaltPlanet]

Neat photos.  I wonder if they deliberately left the bridge hanging in order to salvage the steel.  There is probably quite a bit of value there.  This would also avoid the environmental consequences as using the river bottom as a dump.

[theline]

Thanks for those photos, Sherman. Terrific pictures, as usual. 

There is an interesting YouTube of the demolition, with a link posted in the Ohio Valley section, see here: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=3891.msg234654#msg234654

[andy]

Neat photos.  I wonder if they deliberately left the bridge hanging in order to salvage the steel.  There is probably quite a bit of value there.  This would also avoid the environmental consequences as using the river bottom as a dump.

The hang has to be un-intended. There is no intention of leaving any of the structure in the river as this is an active transportation corridor and they were only allowed 24 hours closure. 

The construction company has taken the debris to the Kentucky side for scrapping.

Also, there are two or three more demolitions over the next few weeks planned for the remaining spans.

Finally, not emphasized in the thread above, is the plan to slide the entire new span onto the alignment being cleared by the demolition.

There is quite a bit on the Ohio Valley thread for the US-421 bridge posted above.

see the official site; http://www.miltonmadisonbridge.com/news-center/

[JMoses24]

Neat photos.  I wonder if they deliberately left the bridge hanging in order to salvage the steel.  There is probably quite a bit of value there.  This would also avoid the environmental consequences as using the river bottom as a dump.

The hang has to be un-intended. There is no intention of leaving any of the structure in the river as this is an active transportation corridor and they were only allowed 24 hours closure. 

The construction company has taken the debris to the Kentucky side for scrapping.

Also, there are two or three more demolitions over the next few weeks planned for the remaining spans.

Finally, not emphasized in the thread above, is the plan to slide the entire new span onto the alignment being cleared by the demolition.

There is quite a bit on the Ohio Valley thread for the US-421 bridge posted above.

see the official site; http://www.miltonmadisonbridge.com/news-center/

I would bet that little piece hanging on was severed as they brought the adjoining part of the span on board whatever was used to haul the scrap away. Otherwise, that section could very well float downstream as they worked to remove the bridge from the water (I'm thinking that in order to maximize the available space on the barges and minimize the amount of trips, they cut it into more manageable "bite size" pieces).

[andy]

I would bet that little piece hanging on was severed as they brought the adjoining part of the span on board whatever was used to haul the scrap away. Otherwise, that section could very well float downstream as they worked to remove the bridge from the water (I'm thinking that in order to maximize the available space on the barges and minimize the amount of trips, they cut it into more manageable "bite size" pieces).

I don't think there was any danger of floating.  They stripped the deck bare and the river isn't that deep or fast.

You can see the "bite size" removal on the time lapse video at; http://www.miltonmadisonbridge.com/gallery/live-web-cam/.  When you select July 23, it will set you to noon.  Backing up to 9:00 am, the span is still standing and 9:15, its in the river.  They didn't remove obvious parts until after lunch, but there were several "bites" removed as the day wore on.

Interestingly, they started removal on the Indiana side which was opposite the "hung" part but with 15 minute snaps, I don't know what else was done.

I'm not going to speculate on what they are doing, but it is important to remember these peers are to be re-used after the truss-slide, so they're not going to risk any damage to them.

[JMoses24]

I would bet that little piece hanging on was severed as they brought the adjoining part of the span on board whatever was used to haul the scrap away. Otherwise, that section could very well float downstream as they worked to remove the bridge from the water (I'm thinking that in order to maximize the available space on the barges and minimize the amount of trips, they cut it into more manageable "bite size" pieces).

I don't think there was any danger of floating.  They stripped the deck bare and the river isn't that deep or fast.

You can see the "bite size" removal on the time lapse video at; http://www.miltonmadisonbridge.com/gallery/live-web-cam/.  When you select July 23, it will set you to noon.  Backing up to 9:00 am, the span is still standing and 9:15, its in the river.  They didn't remove obvious parts until after lunch, but there were several "bites" removed as the day wore on.

Interestingly, they started removal on the Indiana side which was opposite the "hung" part but with 15 minute snaps, I don't know what else was done.

I'm not going to speculate on what they are doing, but it is important to remember these peers are to be re-used after the truss-slide, so they're not going to risk any damage to them.

Right, they're strengthening the piers for re-use. However, the river doesn't necessarily need to be fast to send a small piece of steel downstream. I'm interested in how they configured the explosives, because you would think you want a clean break in the steel, unless the concern was that the explosives would have to be placed too close to the pier.

[andy]

Next demolition announced; http://www.miltonmadisonbridge.com/news-center/
PDF announcement with picture at http://www.miltonmadisonbridge.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/MMBP-2nd-Span-Blast-release2.pdf

Louisville, Ky. (July 30, 2013) — A second section of the old US 421 Milton-Madison Bridge is scheduled to be demolished on Thursday, August 1, weather permitting. The 550-foot long section nearest the Milton, Ky., shore will be brought down using controlled explosives by Advanced Explosives Demolition Inc., the company that demolished another section of the bridge last week.
The demolition will require the closure of the new bridge starting at approximately 9:00 a.m. on August 1. Other roads within the designated 1,000-foot safety perimeter will also be closed.

I was able to get over to Madison Sunday and they were still picking small pieces out of the river.

[andy]

Second of three blasts was set off Thursday.

http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?id=60662&ts=true

This was a smaller blast.  It sounds like the remaining blast is expected next week.

[andy]

Oops...

http://madisoncourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=178&SubSectionID=963&ArticleID=78254

I guess this is one of the hazards of a staged demolition (follow the link for a good picture);

Contractors are bracing a portion of the old Madison-Milton Bridge that has shown significant bowing since the last bridge span demolition.

While reinforcement work is occurring overhead today, the secondary river channel - primarily used by recreational boaters - will be temporarily closed to river traffic.

The main navigational channel will remain open, and the new bridge also will remain open.

The southernmost section of the old bridge has been bowing since last week's demolition of a 550-foot span closest to Milton, a spokesman for Walsh Construction said.

When the loads were removed from the bridge, steel members at the top of the truss were compressed, causing them to bow, a press release said.

Engineers for Walsh Construction have assessed the old bridge and found it to be stable under current conditions.

Crews have demolished two spans of the old bridge using controlled explosives. Two demolitions remain but neither have been scheduled.

While large sections between the piers are being removed with explosives, sections of the truss directly over the piers will be removed manually using cranes to protect the piers which are being rehabilitated and reused.

update;
The current construction news (as of 8/12/2013) has more on that last paragraph.

http://www.miltonmadisonbridge.com/news-center/

[andy]

After what appears to have been a longer than expected delay, the next stage of the demolition has been set.

http://madisoncourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=178&SubSectionID=961&ArticleID=78665&TM=84128.2

Crews remove portions of the old Madison-Milton Bridge on Thursday. Parts of the truss directly on top of the piers must be removed before each of the two remaining span blasts take place. The 400-foot section closest to Madison will be exploded at 9 a.m. Thursday. Residents inside the 1,000-foot blast zone should stay indoors starting at 8:45 a.m. until the blast is completed. The Madison Courier will post a map of the blast zone at www.madisoncourier.com.

I wonder if/how the partial demolition over the piers relates to the previously reported buckling on the south end.

[andy]

Another stage of the demolition this morning, some of the pictures;
from http://www.miltonmadisonbridge.com/gallery/live-web-cam/



Does the new truss look warped in this photo?


A nice photo of the truss linkages.  Easy to see the freely rotating pin joint instead of a riveted/bolted plate.

[agentsteel53]

Does the new truss look warped in this photo?

it does.  what's the explanation? 

[seicer]

Could be distortion in the lens. Just like a camera lens, some distortion is expected - but unlike a photographer's lens that can (usually) be corrected with software, video is much more difficult.

[DeaconG]

Could be distortion in the lens. Just like a camera lens, some distortion is expected - but unlike a photographer's lens that can (usually) be corrected with software, video is much more difficult.

Looks like an ultra-wide angle, that would do it if the lens was at it's closest setting.

[seicer]

Some lenses - especially cheap manufacturers or the low-end lenses of popular brands, will have complex signatures. I can't find anything about damage to the new span, though.

[andy]

I should have posted another photo. Later pictures looked better. I wonder if there might be a pressure wave distorting the air.

video at http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?id=61219&ts=true

[Duke87]

I should have posted another photo. Later pictures looked better. I wonder if there might be a pressure wave distorting the air.

Yeah, I was going to guess that heat from the explosions was distorting the image (think distant road surface looking blurry or reflecting the sky on a hot summer day).

[andy]

Fourth and final demolition for next Tuesday (9/17)

https://twitter.com/mmbridgeproject

Explosive demolition of the remaining 600ft section of the old bridge is TENTATIVELY scheduled for Sept 17 at about 9am

And there's no way I can be there. 

[seicer]

I might try.

[JMoses24]

I might try.

It would be something to see for sure. One of the last pieces of the old, making way for the new in a sense (considering they are reusing the piers).

[andy]

Update schedule;

https://twitter.com/mmbridgeproject

The last span blast is now tentatively scheduled for Thursday, Sept 19 at about 9am.

That I should be able to make.

[JMoses24]

I'm not sure if Sherman and/or Andy made it in time.

With rain and thunderstorms moving in, the demolition was moved to 8:30 AM. Which proved to be good timing, as latest radar shows Madison is getting hit pretty good.

EDIT TO ADD: Here's a screenshot of Radarscope on my iPod touch, centered on the Madison vicinity at 8:58. Remember, the original schedule would've meant this was 2 minutes before the blast.

[andy]

I was three blocks away, parking.  Heard the boom, felt the whomp, and saw the ripples in the river, but the trees blocked my view of the bridge.  So close...

If I had tuned to the local FM station I probably would have known it was going to be close, but I don't think I could have improved my timing.

Just got back to work, so it only cost half a day.