AASHTO Journal, 25 April 2014
Last week, officials from Kentucky and Indiana joined to re-open a half-mile bridge just one week after sliding the entire bridge laterally into place over the Ohio River, the longest bridge in North America to do so.
The $103 million Milton-Madison Bridge, which was slid 55 feet from temporary supports onto its new piers earlier this month, is a 30-million pound steel truss bridge spanning almost 2,500 feet long and 40 feet wide (or twice as wide as the bridge it replaced). The original bridge was opened in 1929, connecting the communities of Madison, Indiana, and Milton, Kentucky. After decades of deterioration, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the Indiana Department of Transportation worked together to come up with a “superstructure replacement,” which offered the fastest and most cost-effective way to build a new bridge while also minimizing impacts to people in the surrounding communities. Construction began in the spring of 2011, though traffic was closed only during brief periods.
“It’s a great day for the citizens of Madison and Milton. Hoosiers and Kentuckians alike are to be commended for patiently waiting to see the bridge in its permanent home and to resume driving across it,” said Indiana Governor Mike Pence in a statement. “I express my appreciation for the hard work and professionalism of the Indiana Department of Transportation, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Walsh Construction for this historic project.”
“Today marks a major milestone in what has truly been a historic project,” Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear said. “Watching the bridge slide into place last week was incredible. The community should be proud of being part of engineering history.” (See a short time-lapse video on the placement of the bridge and its opening here.)
KYTC and INDOT officials say the project was completed for 20 percent under original estimates (as it was initially expected to cost $131 million) and created or preserved up to 1,400 jobs.
Additional information on the project is available at MiltonMadisonBridge.com. Follow the Milton-Madison Bridge happenings on its Twitter account.
