Tom Warne Report, 9 October 2013
JACKSONVILLE, Fl. – The Florida Department of Transportation said cars could be driving on the Matthews Bridge again as early as two weeks from now, after a naval vessel hit it last week. Superior Construction Company has been commissioned to fix the bridge, which was hit in the location of one of the main suspension cables.
FDOT said Indiana-based Superior Construction can repair the span for $1 million, much lower than the initially estimated $3 million cost. Superior hopes to get the work done in 30 days. FDOT will award the company with up to $500,000 in bonuses if the work is completed in 30 days.
Ananth Prasad, the Secretary of FDOT, said it could take two weeks to stabilize the bridge. Currently, parts of the bridge cannot handle the weight of construction equipment. He said once the bridge is stabilized, two lanes of traffic could be reopened for one-way traffic.
“It’s contingent on the bridge being safe,” said Prasad.
When I see these stories of amazing performance to fix damaged infrastructure, it causes me to feel proud to be part of the industry. Time and again the public can rely on the transportation professionals in our ranks to lift heaven and earth to put their system back together when disaster strikes. JN
