e-Mail

Print

Tweet

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels announced the long-anticipated replacement of the Madison-Milton Bridge will be completed years ahead of schedule, at 20 percent less cost, and with significantly less disruption than originally estimated.

According to the new plan, the bridge will be closed for only 10 days during construction rather than an anticipated year-long closure of the U.S. 421 bridge connecting Madison, Ind., with Milton, Ky.

“I’ve encouraged INDOT to be creative and think differently, and here is a great example of innovation that makes a great outcome even better. Kentucky and Indiana both benefit from the competition created by using our design-build bidding method,” Daniels said.

The low bid submitted by Walsh Construction Company of LaPorte, Ind., for $103 million, is 20 percent below the original $131 million construction estimate. It was also the only proposal that offered a plan that closed the bridge for less than a year. The new bridge superstructure is expected to be open to traffic atop rehabilitated vertical piers by Sept. 15, 2012, making it the fastest bridge ever to be built over the Ohio River.

The innovative construction method will slide the 3,181-foot-long truss into place along steel rails and plates. Walsh teamed up with Buckland & Taylor Ltd., which designed the similar Old Capilano Bridge replacement in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Construction plans designed by Buckland & Taylor Ltd. and Burgess & Niple Engineers of Columbus, Ohio, will be reviewed and approved prior to construction to ensure they adhere to modern safety standards.

The project received a $20 million federal grant in February, and the remaining cost of the project will be evenly split by both states.

The Madison-Milton Bridge was built in 1929 and is too narrow for modern traffic. Its estimated remaining useful life is 10 years. The new bridge will look similar to the existing steel truss, but will include wider lanes and accommodations for bicycles and pedestrians.

For more information about the project, visit www.miltonmadisonbridge.com, or click here to read an in-depth article about the project, published in Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure’s August issue.