CINCINNATI — Ohio Department of Transportation officials said repairs on the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, or the Big Mac Bridge, are currently slated to be completed in March.
The announcement was made nearly one month after a fire shut down all southbound lanes on the bridge.
You can watch the full press conference below:
Kathleen Fuller, a spokesperson for ODOT, said Wednesday morning that steel girders needed for the bridge repairs are expected to arrive in Cincinnati in mid-January, though she said delays are possible.
Once the girders arrive, Fuller said construction on the bridge will begin in January, with all work expected to be completed in early March.
Fuller said the timeline is an extremely quick one, and that traditionally a project with the same demands as the Big Mac Bridge could take up to three years to complete.
Demolition on the bridge will begin on November 29, Fuller said. That process will be a slow and methodical one that's expected to last roughly three weeks, according to Fuller.
"It's going to be like a surgical, very systematic approach," said Fuller.
She said the demolition won't be a typical one, where crews would remove large sections of the damaged bridge all at once. Instead, crews will saw and cut smaller pieces bit by bit to remove the damaged portions of the bridge.
Fuller said this is because there are concerns for the stability of the bridge, even after multiple concrete shoring towers were poured to help support the structure.
Until those towers were built, Fuller said crews couldn't get onto or under the bridge for inspections, because the concrete deck is not supported in places where multiple steel beams have warped away from it.
"I don't want to induce panic, I don't want to worry anyone ... yes, there was always the potential for a collapse," said Fuller.
Fuller said since the shoring towers were poured, she doesn't believe there's a risk of collapse, but crews are not certain exactly how the structure will respond once demolition efforts begin.
"They realize there are some unknowns," said Fuller.
After demolition is completed on the southbound side, crews will repair the damaged concrete wall on the bridge's northbound side, where one lane has been closed since the fire. Fuller said crews aim to finish those repairs by the end of December, which is when the northbound lane could reopen.
Fuller said there are three things that could possibly delay the timeline of the bridge repairs: Delivery of the steel girders, equipment and weather. Crews will be working through the winter months, but Fuller said that also means they're at the mercy of weather conditions.
In all, Fuller said seven girders need replacing. ODOT last said that number was four, but Fuller said the damaged beams have a splice in between, meaning there are actually seven girders total, spanning 556 feet in length, that need replaced.
Fuller said over 7,600 square feet of concrete deck, plus the concrete walls on the highways sides, also need replacing.
On Friday, Nov. 1, at around 3:30 a.m., the 1,000 Hands Playground in Sawyer Point Park caught on fire, causing part of the bridge to burn. Days later, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced a state of emergency "due to the dangerous conditions and damages."
The Cincinnati Fire Department still hasn't announced a cause for the fire; fire officials have told WCPO their investigation remains ongoing.
In an update Monday afternoon, ODOT said crews began installing the second round of shoring towers, which are needed to support the bridge before any demolition can begin.
"As mentioned the day of the fire, the section of southbound I-471 that suffered the most significant damage will need to be removed and replaced," ODOT said in its release. "Close-up inspections on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15 and 16, found even more damage to the deck, bearings and girders than the initial inspections revealed."
ODOT said engineers have been designing custom demolition plans for each piece — from the concrete deck to the girders — to make sure crews and residents are safe.
During the Monday update, ODOT said the timeline for repairs would depend on the availability of steel.
"These are going to be custom-made. It's not off-the-shelf where we can just order parts from a catalog, so to speak," ODOT spokesperson Kathleen Fuller told WCPO last week. "There are some unique components with the hinge joint underneath the bridge. These are things that people don't see when they're traveling."
To address traffic needs, a lane closure on the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge was removed last week to better ease congestion. Kentucky transportation officials have also adjusted signal timing at certain Newport and Covington traffic lights during weekday rush hour to help those traveling through the area due to the closure.
Watch Live:
