L51 bridge opens
/One final snag caused additional delay
The new bridge between Ricketts and Charter Oak, on County Road L51, is now open. It had been closed to traffic since February and remained closed during the summer and fall due to a contractor error. photos by dan mundt
The bridge on County Road L51 between Highway 141 and Ricketts opened on Friday of last week after a drawn-out construction process.
The bridge, which crosses the East Soldier River about 2.5 miles south of Ricketts, had been closed since February for the construction of a replacement bridge.
The project was complete by July, but the bridge remained closed due to an error by the contractor, Graves Construction, that resulted in the pilings on the north side of the bridge being out of proper alignment.
The alignment problem left the bridge unable to carry loads specified in the design process.
Crawford County’s engineering consultant, Calhoun-Burns and Associates, developed a plan to modify the structure to bring the bridge up to specifications.
Two additional pilings were constructed on each side of the north pier of the bridge; the repair plan called for a reinforced concrete structure to be poured around all the north-side pilings to make a solid beam structure that would safely carry the load of the bridge.
Graves Construction took responsibility for the initial error and the cost of the remedial work.
A solid beam of concrete encases all of the bridge’s north pilings, which had been placed incorrectly to carry the load of the bridge.
Crawford County Engineer Paul Assman said several weeks were added to the project by an additional problem.
“When they initially formed the pier wall, the forms weren’t sufficient to support the load, so we had a form failure,” he said. “Then they had to take everything apart and clean it back up and strengthen it.”
The second form was successful and the project moved forward from there as expected, Assman said.
“A number of different subcontractors worked on the project,” he said. “They all did their part in a timely manner, and as a result we were finally able to open the bridge – albeit several months later than we had anticipated.”
Assman said the bridge will serve citizens of the county for many years to come.
“It’s been a pain, but everybody has been extremely patient, and we appreciate that,” he said.
Follow us on Facebook for the latest news and updates
