Because of good weather this past winter, work crews are on schedule to complete the new Hwy. 24 bridge over the Mississippi River by next fall.

 

The $17.4 million project began last summer and will include wider lanes, shoulders and a pedestrian trail separated by a concrete barrier from motor vehicle traffic. The existing bridge, built in 1958, has narrow lanes and shoulders. Sidewalks do not meet current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.

 

Crews were able to build a temporary road called a causeway on the left bank in Clearwater to give them access into the river. They worked through the mild winter to set rebar and pour concrete to form the piers.

 

Steel sheet pilings were driven into the ground to form the cofferdams that provide dry space for working on the foundation for the piers that will support the new bridge. Two piers have already taken shape on the Clearwater side, plus workers are finishing an abutment west of Main Street.

 

Four more piers are still to be built in the river. Pier 3 has its foundation and rebar in place. Pier 4 is being worked on and piers 5 and 6 will be accessed by another causeway to be built from the Clear Lake side of the river. Then the final abutment will be constructed on land on the Clear Lake side. Piers and abutments are expected to be completed this summer.

 

Some of the steel beams that will form the deck have been staged on the Clearwater side of the river. Beams will be put in place in late summer through fall.

 

Bridge deck surface work, sidewalks, road and trail connections are expected to be completed by fall, 2017, with the bridge opening for traffic soon after.

 

Plans include removal of the existing bridge from fall, 2017 through June, 2018.