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TALLAHASSEE, FLA. — The Lane Construction Corp., on behalf of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), selected Finley Engineering Group to serve as a specialty engineer to design repairs for a pair of Brevard County bridges damaged in a horrific accident involving a 20,000-gallon fuel tanker truck.

The team has only 25 days to complete the repairs to the North Courtenay Parkway overpass bridges on State Road 528 crossing SR 3. According to news reports, an hour-long barrage of heat spalled concrete off beams supporting both the eastbound and westbound bridges of the overpass, exposing and damaging the rebar that bolsters them. Both drivers were killed in the Jan. 21 crash.

The $2.19 million, around-the-clock project entails replacement of two spans of each bridge as well as the columns supporting the span. The bridge is a key component of the transportation system on Merritt Island, providing access for motorists who work at Kennedy Space Center, ride buses to area schools, take cruises out of Port Canaveral, shop at local retailers, and visit Brevard's beaches.

Following the accident, FDOT solicited bids from three teams, awarding the project to the Lane Construction team on early Sunday morning, Jan. 23. Finley Engineering submitted the prestressed girder design to Lane on Sunday afternoon, and work began immediately. The repairs are expected to be complete by Feb. 16.