Jul 7, 2008 5:12 pm US/Central
Repairs To Begin On Winona Bridge Gusset Plates
WINONA, Minn. (AP) ―
The Minnesota Department of Transportation says work should begin by Thursday on repairing about 15 gusset plates on the Highway 43 bridge over the Mississippi River at Winona.
MnDOT says an emergency contract has been awarded to Edward Kraemer and Sons, Incorporated, of Burnsville with a bid of $108,200. The project is to be completed by July 31.
Transportation officials say repairs will focus on the most critical gusset plates first, to allow truck traffic back onto the bridge as soon as possible.
In a second emergency contract, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Incorporated, has agreed to provide project oversight for the gusset plate repairs. The structural engineering firm from Northbrook, Illinois, conducted the initial gusset plate inspection and load analysis as well as prepared the repair plan.
The bridge was closed June 3 because of rust and corrosion found in gusset plates on the bridge. The bridge has since reopened to passenger vehicles, but pedestrians and bicyclists are still barred from crossing the bridge.
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