ATCHISON, KS (KCTV) -
Construction of the US-59 Amelia Earhart Bridge in Atchison is reaching new heights.
This week a milestone will take place as crews complete final connection work on the arch span section of the new bridge.
At 7:30 a.m. Friday, crews put in place the final piece on the south side of the arch. By 7:45 a.m., the arch span section of the bridge was completed. Due to some technical issues, the south side arch completion had also been rescheduled to Friday.
It will take crews approximately 15 minutes to hoist the final piece into place, then the bolting will begin.
Once the arch span section is connected, the arch span cables will be secured and removal of the cranes will begin. Once the cranes are removed, crews will then begin work to complete the bridge deck.
The new AE Bridge is scheduled to open to traffic in September 2012. The removal of the existing bridge is scheduled for early 2013.
The Amelia Earhart Memorial Bridge - a four-lane, tied arch structure - will stretch nearly 2,500 feet, distinguished by its double steel arches on the main river span and special aesthetic lighting. It will replace the existing two-lane structure, which was completed in 1938 and is too narrow to handle some of today's larger truck loads and farm implements. The extra lanes also will accommodate the greater numbers of vehicles that now pass over the bridge daily.
The AE Bridge replacement is a cooperative project funded by KDOT and the Missouri Department of Transportation. Of the $59.4 million construction cost, Kansas will contribute $30.6 million, and MoDOT will contribute $28.8 million.
Copyright 2012 KCTV (Meredith Corp.) All rights reserved.
