Bridge repairs should be done in two weeks
Late last month, a driver failed to heed road closure signs for an improvement project on a Monroe Street bridge and drove through fresh concrete, leaving deep ruts in it.
“Somebody drove through the road-closed signs and they just gunned it and went right through the concrete that was poured,” said city engineer Joe Gray. “It was nicely finished and everything. And this person just decided to drive right through it. By the time we got down there, it was all set, so we had ruts in it.”
The crew had finished pouring specialized concrete on one side of the bridge when the motorist drove through the wet concrete later that evening after work crews left. Gray said the crew was able to put grout in the ruts and mostly repair the damage, adding that city police were notified.
According to Gray, a city public works crew began resurfacing the deck of Lookout Point Bridge about two weeks ago. He said the city is completing the project “in-house,” rather than contracting with an outside company.
John Evans, the city's code enforcer, said the decision to use city workers was made in part to save taxpayer money.
“It's much more cost- effective to do it with in-house resources,” Evans said, adding the job didn't cost any additional money since it was being done by salaried workers.
Gray expects the job will be finished in about two weeks, but said the deadline might change depending on weather conditions and other potential impediments.“The bridge deck was in really bad shape. The top surface was popping off. It's something that's been an ongoing maintenance issue, and we need to just keep on it, so we can prevent the deterioration from getting down into the structure,” Gray said.The city did similar work on the structure in 2014 and 2011. The bridge was constructed in the 1970s.
