Emergency repairs are moving forward on a Kansas Turnpike bridge near Emporia after the Turnpike Authority approved a contract last week.
The KTA says multiple contractors are involved after a westbound over-height load on US Highway 50 sliced through two I-beams and damaged others under the KTA bridge at mile marker 126.7, just southwest of the Emporia tollgate, on April 18. The $2.1 million contract involves all aspects of the upcoming and ongoing work, including design, utility movement, material construction, demolition, structural steel repair and replacement, traffic control and bridge painting.
The Turnpike Authority expects reconstruction to last through late 2025, weather and schedule permitting.
The Turnpike Authority has not announced adjustments to its traffic plans, either for the bridge or for US-50 traffic underneath the bridge. Northbound KTA traffic has been constricted to the inside lane since the incident. US-50 traffic has been one-lane and head-to-head using the eastbound lanes for almost the entire time since the incident.
