New Albany, IN (March 29, 2019) – Bridge inspections are scheduled to resume Monday, April 1 as part of the Sherman Minton Renewal project. The inspection work is scheduled for April 1 – 15 and will include lane closures.
Complete lane closures are needed to allow the teams to safely conduct the inspection. Drivers will encounter lane closures throughout the two weeks, and can expect to find one lane closed in each direction during the day and two eastbound lanes closed overnight. The daytime eastbound closures are scheduled to start around 9 a.m. most mornings and end around 7 p.m. Overnight closures will begin around 8 p.m and end around 6 a.m. The single westbound closures will begin daily around 6 a.m. and end around mid to late afternoon.
The timeline and schedule of the closures are subject to change due to weather delays and other factors. No work is scheduled Saturday, April 13, because of Thunder over Louisville.
The inspection process builds upon the preliminary bridge inspection work conducted in February. “We’re using the data collected from the recent drone inspections to help us focus our efforts for this detailed inspection work,” said Ron Heustis, Indiana Department of Transportation project manager.
Inspection work will be done on the upper and lower decks of the bridge. Technicians will use ropes to access the steel superstructure from the upper and lower decks, evaluate its condition and take measurements. Under-bridge inspection vehicles and man lifts will be used to reach the floor system of the upper level decks of the bridge.
The information gathered will give the Project Team a clearer picture of the repairs that will be needed once construction starts in early 2021.
