CINCINNATI — We could get a timeline for when construction will end on southbound I-471 at the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge by early next week, according to the latest update from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).
ODOT said the concrete footers crews poured on Friday were able to cure over the weekend, providing the support base for shoring towers that are being assembled Monday. The goal is to have those six shoring towers constructed by the end of the week.
Once those are in place for stability, inspectors will be able to assess damage and determine the full extent of repairs.
Spokesperson Kathleen Fuller said ODOT expects a timeline for construction by Friday or early next week.
"It won't be a hard, fast timeline," Fuller said. "I don't want anybody to get the idea that we'll know the exact day this is going to reopen to traffic."
She said it is ODOT's "biggest project" right now: "All of our efforts are concentrated on repairing the bridge and getting it reopened to traffic."
The southbound lanes of the Big Mac Bridge have been closed since Nov. 1, when the 1,000 Hands Playground in Sawyer Point Park caught on fire, causing part of the bridge to burn. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced a state of emergency last week "due to the dangerous conditions and damages."
"It's Impressive"
Casey Jones, owner of an engineering consulting firm and construction YouTube creator, said construction crews are moving very quickly.
"I think they're moving as quickly as you possibly can," he said. "It's impressive."
Jones said construction is "at the very beginning of knowing the path forward" by starting the installation process for shoring towers.
"Those have to be in place to allow the inspection. They have to be in place to allow the removal of damaged sections. So it's a key component to going forward here," he said.
From his experience, he said completion of the project is still at least several weeks away.
Jones highlighted how the Cincinnati Fire Department is still trying to figure out exactly what happened.
"Was this an oversight? Was this complacency? Was this a black swan event kind of thing that [was] just [a] totally low probability, but high, high impact situation?" he asked.
Road Closures
Officials have blocked off the area under the bridge including Pete Rose Way/Riverside Drive and a portion of Sawyer Point Park. A pedestrian detour has been set up along the Ohio River and the south end of the park.
Those driving eastbound on Pete Rose Way can still travel to Eggleston Street, but ODOT does warn of congestion at the intersection. Drivers heading westbound can still go as far as the Adams Place Condominiums building. Thru traffic can use Collins Avenue and William Howard Taft Road to Columbia Parkway.
Here is the full list of closures downtown:
- Liberty Street access to I-471 is closed.
- 5th Street access to I-471 is closed.
- U.S. 50 East and West access to I-471 is closed. (U.S. 50 remains open to thru traffic.)
- Pete Rose Way/Riverside Drive is closed under the approach.
- Eastbound Pete Rose Way motorists may use Eggleston Street.
- Westbound Riverside Drive (U.S. 52) should divert to Columbia Parkway (U.S. 50).
- The parking lot under the bridge approach, adjacent to Pete Rose Way, is closed.
- The sidewalk on the north side of Pete Rose Way, between Eggleston and Kilgour, is closed.
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