Understandably, there is a lot of work ahead to restore the northbound Kansas Turnpike Authority bridge over US Highway 50 to full strength after an incident just west of Emporia on April 18.
During KVOE’s Newsmaker segment Wednesday, Turnpike Authority Engineer Shannon Moore said planning started almost immediately after a westbound over-height load on US-50 sliced through two I-beams and damaged other parts of the bridge nearby.
Moore says the damage is evident as you approach the scene, calling it among the worst he has had to handle.
There has already been work done to move utilities. Temporary shoring is ahead, meaning some new pieces will have to be bolted into place for the cut I-beams. Moore says the Turnpike Authority should be able to avoid a complete shutdown of the northbound bridge, although it may well have to adjust traffic from the inside lane to the outside lane as work continues. US-50 traffic will likely have to be shuffled once the shoring process begins.
There is currently no timetable for the work, although Moore says it will take months to finish and should begin soon.
