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Last updated on Tuesday, May 13, 2014
(GREENE CO.) - If you missed the bridge beams being transported down Ind. 37 Thursday, don’t worry - there will be more.
Concrete beams for about 50 bridges will be transported from Decatur to various points along Section 4 of Interstate 69 from now until the end of the year.
INDOT spokeswoman Cher Elliott says the Beams for bridges in Section 4, which runs between Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center and Bloomington, average 5 feet tall, 150 feet long and 60 tons. Some will be as tall as 8 feet, as long as 200 feet and as heavy as 100 tons.
Elliott says the beams are built at Prestress Services Industries in Decatur, just south of Fort Wayne and take a lot of time, money and special equipment to move.
The company uses six-axle steerable dollies and a police escort to take them around I-465, down Ind. 37 and west into Greene County.
Matt Hamilton, director of transportation for Prestress says, the normal legal gross weight for a truck, trailer and its load is 80,000 pounds, Hamilton said. The gross weight for the trucks carrying the I-69 beams will be between 270,000 and 275,000 pounds.
Drivers need a special oversized superload special hauling permit from the Indiana State Police to transport the beams.
ISP provides and escorts of five troopers for every two beams .
The frequency of when the beams come through the area will be based on when the Section 4 contractors are ready, but Hamilton says more than 100 beams will be delivered to Greene County.
Elliott says, the trucks can travel at a decent pace, but won't be moving as fast as normal traffic and no highways will be closed but county roads may be closed temporarily to unload the beams at the construction sites.
The trucks will also have to slow down to maneuver narrow, winding county roads, so other drivers are asked to use caution if they encounter a truck over the next few months.
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