Explosive Demolition at the Milton-Madison Ohio River Bridge

[JMoses24]

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.

Nothing you could've done about it without possibly breaking a traffic law or two.

[andy]

I probably bent enough rules just getting there when I did.  I just didn't plan well enough, no one to blame but myself.

I checked the twitter about 7:30, but they hadn't announced the change in plans yet.  If I had also thought to turn off the MP3 and tune the local station (WORX FM 96.7), I could have at least gotten a less optimal view from down river (through the new bridge).  I think that might fit another thread about the benefit of listening to local stations.  Live, Learn...

[JMoses24]

I probably bent enough rules just getting there when I did.  I just didn't plan well enough, no one to blame but myself.

I checked the twitter about 7:30, but they hadn't announced the change in plans yet.  If I had also thought to turn off the MP3 and tune the local station (WORX FM 96.7), I could have at least gotten a less optimal view from down river (through the new bridge).  I think that might fit another thread about the benefit of listening to local stations.  Live, Learn...

Well, certainly you could've. I would argue that either way, the rain foricing the schedule change screwed with things. The change was not made public until 8:10 AM. Had the original plans gone ahead, you'd have made it with 20 minutes to spare. There was just too much lightning within the approaching storms, which could have caused a premature detonation of the blasting caps -- much too dangerous if there are personnel in the area including any traffic on the new bridge. Once the span was rigged up, which I believe they did overnight, they had to go with it.

I am interested to hear if there are any delays to salvage operations, because you can't put personnel in the water with lightning in the vicinity. It simply can't/shouldn't be done.

[andy]

I'm sure the lightning projections were a major concern.  I didn't hang around long and there were a couple of pretty big strikes before I got out of town. Maybe 20 minutes, certaintly before the scheduled 9:00 demolition.

Below are a couple of the official photos.  They don't show it, but there was a lot less of the debris above water than the past blasts, so that itself might make the recovery a bit more work.

Fortunately the blast have been staged so that between the two channels available, the river traffic is not too disturbed.

Also, it looks to me like this was a much more colorful blast than the others.  The blast masters are probably as dissapointed as the rest of us to have rushed the show and diminished the audience.

[andy]

Now that the demolition is done, I don't know if I should return to the Ohio River thread on this topic.  But this one is fresher.

Now that the demolition is done, they are moving on to improving the piers and not are looking at a Mid-November slide for the new span;

http://madisoncourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=178&SubSectionID=964&ArticleID=79136

Now that the old Madison-Milton bridge has been removed, workers have started widening and strengthening the existing piers that will support the new bridge superstructure. Work is progressing on Pier Two on the Milton side of the Ohio River. Each pier will be capped before the new bridge is slid from its temporary piers. The bridge slide is tentatively scheduled for mid-November

[andy]

There's not been much reporting on the bridge progress, but it looks like they are getting closer to the big slide.

http://madisoncourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=178&SubSectionID=964&ArticleID=81126

1/14/2014 3:00:00 PM
WORK ON FINAL PIER CAP
A boom is used to fill the last pier cap mold for the new Madison-Milton bridge Monday. Once the concrete is cured and the cap set, plates will be installed for the bridge slide from the temporary piers. The slide is expected to be in mid-February, though many variables are at play, which will determine the actual date. Demolition of the old bridge pier near Madison is expected in the coming weeks. An official spokesman with the project said that a report at a recent Milton City Commission meeting stating that the first blast to the old pier would be today was not correct and that the blast will likely be next week. Before the blast, official notices - including any safety perimeters - will be sent to all media outlets and posted at the project's official website, www.miltonmadisonbridge.com. (Staff photos by Ken Ritchie/kritchie@madisoncourier.com)

[andy]

Another small step.  The final pier not being rehabilitated and used is about to be demolished.
The fall of the pier in the first stage demolition might make for a pretty big splash.

http://www.miltonmadisonbridge.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/pier5blastforweb1-22-14.pdf

The 92-foot-tall pier will be removed in a series of two blasts scheduled to take place several days apart. Using controlled explosives, the first blast will topple the pier above the water line. A tension line anchored on the Madison side of the river will be used to pull the pier toward the shoreline, controlling the direction of its fall. Once the old pier is safely resting on the shoreline, it will be broken into smaller pieces and hauled off site. A second blast will fracture remaining portions of the pier under water so that they can be removed and hauled off.

[andy]

http://www.miltonmadisonbridge.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Pier-blast-scheduled-for-January-31-at-44.pdf

In preparation for the upcoming bridge slide, the only remaining original Milton-Madison Bridge pier is scheduled to be demolished Friday, January 31 at 4:00 p.m. Recent cold weather has hampered efforts to schedule the blast. Demolition will require a brief bridge closure lasting approximately 10 minutes.

[andy]

The pier was toppled today.  Prior to the demolition, the river landing was filled with dirt, so the big splash I was speculating about didn't happen.

Video and a projection for a March slide on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQMUNe6m6CI

[JMoses24]

The slide is tentatively set to happen Friday...BUT there's a problem.

The bridge has been closed following a beam shifting on the bridge around 2 AM.

http://953wiki.com/local-article/milton-madison-bridge-emergency-closure-following-beam-shift/

MADISON, In. (WDRB) —  The Milton-Madison Bridge is shut down early today, after officials say a beam shifted and made the bridge unstable.

A resident who lives near the bridge told a Louisville TV station they heard a loud pop around 2 a.m. Tuesday. Police are blocking both ends of the bridge, as the structure is checked.

Kentucky State Police say the project manager notified them and requested help in setting up barricades.

The bridge was scheduled to close on Friday so crews could shift the bridge onto the refurbished piers. Crews estimate it will take 16 hours to slide the bridge over and another several days to secure it.

There is no information on when the bridge will reopen or how this development might affect the scheduled shift later this week. One word is that the bridge may be closed till after the slide.

[andy]

More information from the local paper;
http://madisoncourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=178&SubSectionID=964&ArticleID=82181

Officials closed the Madison-Milton bridge this morning after a worker was injured by a falling steel beam.

A steel bearing between the bridge and a pier dislodged, causing the injury, according to a joint statement released by Kentucky and Indiana transportation officials.

The worker, who was not identified, was taken to King's Daughters' Hospital, according to the news release. The worker was not seriously injured.

On the positive side, they also said;

"They felt there was no issue keeping the river open,"

So I guess they don't think total failure is a concern.

[andy]

I realize double posting is generally bad, but for those not following the resumption/continuation of this thread in the Ohio Valley region, the new bridge span is set to slide this weekend after a significant set back.

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=3891.msg290238#msg290238

http://madisoncourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=178&SubSectionID=964&ArticleID=82562

http://www.miltonmadisonbridge.com/