Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Monday, June 24, 2013
(NEWBERRY) - Motorists using the Newberry Bridge on State Road 57 in Greene County will have to find an alternate route.
INDOT is closing the bridge the crosses the White River to repair and patch the deck.
The closure will be from 6 a.m. on Tuesday, July 2 until about noon on Wednesday, July 3. The recommended detour for all traffic will be State Road 58, State Road 67 and State Road 54.
INDOT Representative Cher Elliott says everything is set to replace the bridge and another drainage ditch bridge. Workers will build a new structure adjacent to the existing bridges. Work will begin later this year on the new structures.
Elliott says the $15.5 million bridge is expected to be open to traffic in the spring of 2015.
One longer modern bridge will replace the two aged truss-type bridges located north of Newberry that were built in 1940.
According to INDOT officials, the new bridge over the White River, at 1,547 feet and six inches, will be more than 600 feet longer than the current 920-foot span. The new structure will have a total width of 35 feet.
The existing 410-foot-long overflow bridge structure will be removed during the upcoming project.
One lane traffic will be maintained during the two-year construction period. A temporary run-around will be constructed during the removal of the overflow bridge and embankment replacement.
The twin bridges have been restricted to one lane with a 14-ton weight limit since late 2009, when engineers became concerned about the fast aging of the bridge structures over the White River and an overflow ditch.
The span bridges have been under close watch and scrutiny from INDOT officials for a number of years. Automatic signals were installed on each end of each bridge to control traffic flow.
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