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Minneapolis highway span set to open for traffic - and a new era of bridge technology
Thursday, September 18, 2008 | No comments posted.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — More than a year after a key Minneapolis bridge collapsed and killed 13 people, state troopers prepared to lead motorists in a slow procession Thursday morning across the new span that reconnects Interstate 35W over the Mississippi River.
Crews were scheduled to remove barricades that have stood since the old bridge fell Aug. 1, 2007, reopening a major artery leading in and out of Minneapolis that carried 140,000 trips a day.
The new bridge contains hundreds of sensors that will collect a stream of data. The purpose of the “smart bridge” technology isn’t to warn of another impending disaster; it’s to detect small problems before they become big ones, said Alan Phipps, design manager for the project with Figg Engineering Group Inc. of Tallahassee, Fla.
“What these sensors are for, it’s like going to your doctor for your health checkup,” Phipps said. “It’s to ensure you’re maintained in top shape so you never get close to having a serious problem.”
The $234 million bridge was completed on budget and more than three months ahead of the Dec. 24 deadline. That means the contractors — led by the team of Flatiron Construction Corp. of Longmont, Colo., and Manson Construction Co. of Seattle — should get a bonus close to the contract maximum of $27 million, though the actual amount hasn’t been determined.
Crews were scheduled to remove barricades that have stood since the old bridge fell Aug. 1, 2007, reopening a major artery leading in and out of Minneapolis that carried 140,000 trips a day.
The new bridge contains hundreds of sensors that will collect a stream of data. The purpose of the “smart bridge” technology isn’t to warn of another impending disaster; it’s to detect small problems before they become big ones, said Alan Phipps, design manager for the project with Figg Engineering Group Inc. of Tallahassee, Fla.
“What these sensors are for, it’s like going to your doctor for your health checkup,” Phipps said. “It’s to ensure you’re maintained in top shape so you never get close to having a serious problem.”
The $234 million bridge was completed on budget and more than three months ahead of the Dec. 24 deadline. That means the contractors — led by the team of Flatiron Construction Corp. of Longmont, Colo., and Manson Construction Co. of Seattle — should get a bonus close to the contract maximum of $27 million, though the actual amount hasn’t been determined.
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