SYRACUSE — Until, Wednesday, June 29, work on the bridge on CR 29, over US 6, had mainly been site preparation. The construction of the bridge began with the placement of four 96-foot long beams to form the new bridge on CR 29, over US 6.
The first beam was set in place at approximately 11:30 a.m. Crews worked for more than 30 minutes to secure the beam with straps and raise it into place. Traffic on US 6 was shut down during the placement of each beam. Once the beam was in place and straps removed, one lane of travel was reopened to traffic. The goal was to have all four beams in place by late afternoon.
Heavy equipment for the task was moved in between 5 to 8 a.m. The large crane took up to five hours to be assembled. The equipment was dismantled late afternoon. Throughout the day traffic was controlled by flaggers.
Construction on the new road and bridge began in early March. “We’re really just now getting into the meat and potatoes of it,” said Nichole Hacha-Thomas, Indiana Department of Transportation media relations director. “A lot of surface work needed to be done in advance. Only within the last month people have actually seen visible features of this overpass taking shape.”
Construction of the deck will be underway, along with paving of the new portion of the road, tying it into the bridge. “The deck is going to take quite some time,” said Hacha-Thomas. No further complete road closure of US 6 is expected. It is anticipated traffic will be brought down to one lane while the deck is being built.
The $2.3 million project is on schedule. The bridge is expected to be opened to traffic by the first of October. The remainder of the environmental work will be completed by late spring 2017.
