CINCINNATI — Crews are gearing up for the next step in repairing the southbound lanes of the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, nearly three months after a fire resulted in the bridge's closure.
Officials told WCPO 9 News they will begin pouring concrete to form the deck on the southbound side of the bridge soon. Because the temperature has to be between 50 and 100 degrees for a week straight for the concrete to cure, crews are working to ensure the area is shielded from the Tri-State's chilly temps.
Crews will use a tarp and six heaters to keep the temperature between 60 to 70 degrees where they need to pour concrete. That will help them protect from outside weather as it cures.
"Kind of like inside your house, if it's really cold outside, the heater will just keep running and running and running so that as the temperature drops out here, that's what will happen," project manager Tom Hackett said Friday while giving us an inside look at the work being done.
The Ohio Department of Transportation could not give us a timeline for when the pouring will begin but said it should happen "very soon."
They're getting the concrete from Hilltop Basic Resources, the concrete-mixing plant currently located right next to Paycor Stadium.
"We've been working with Hilltop for several years and in detail on this project for this deck port for the past few weeks, and we have a good plan with them, and also with the state of Ohio, to where we think we can get it delivered at the right temperature, at the right pace and at the right time," Hackett said.
Crews will do two concrete pours. The first will be the biggest section — three highway lanes wide, 220 feet long and 11 inches deep. It is steel-reinforced to make it stronger, which is what crews have been working on this past week.
The second section connects the portion of the bridge that was not damaged to the newly repaired area.
ODOT said the plan is still to reopen the southbound lanes in March.
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