More closures coming to Kennedy Bridge

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August 28, 2012

More closures coming to Kennedy Bridge

Repairs expected to take less than a week

By BRADEN LAMMERS braden.lammers@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Tue Aug 28, 2012, 05:04 PM EDT

LOUISVILLE — While work is wrapping up on the deck of the Big Four Bridge, some additional construction may be needed on the Interstate 65 Kennedy Bridge.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Spokesman Chuck Wolfe said two repairs are planned for the southbound portion of the I-65 bridge connecting Louisville and Jeffersonville.

New Albany-based MAC Construction and Excavating completed the $18.2 million project to redeck the bridge and repair its approaches July 30. Portions of the bridge and the approaches were closed for about a month to allow for the repairs. MAC will also be completing the upcoming repairs, which are expected to take less than a week to complete.

“We don’t expect an extended lane closure on the Kennedy Bridge,” Wolfe said.

However, he said the repairs have not been scheduled yet.

Stantec Consulting Services is completing the design to repair a traverse crack found in a weld high on a southbound truss of the bridge. Wolfe explained that in the course of the regular inspection, a crack indication was determined, but there was no actual visible crack.

“It was indicated there was an anomaly within the steel,” he said. “Without question, the bridge is safe,” he added.

Additional stress was added to the “anomaly” due to the redecking work and extra traffic that was routed onto the bridge as a result of the closure of the Sherman Minton Bridge last year. To complete the repair, steel plating will be added to each side of the truss. MAC Construction will complete the repair with a cost to be determined and the design plan is expected to be submitted by Stantec in two weeks.

Wolfe said Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will pay for the steel repair via a change order, but the other repair that needs to be made will fall within the contract formerly in place with MAC Construction.

The second repair is a pothole in the left lane of southbound I-65 on the bridge.

Wolfe said the pothole is near an expansion joint and the concrete did not set properly. He added that it is anticipated that both repairs will be taken care of in one single period of lane closures on the bridge. If separate lanes need to be closed, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will close one lane at a time.

It is expected that the concrete repair would take one day and the steel repair would take less than a week to complete.