Early work is in full swing for significant repairs to a Kansas Turnpike bridge near Emporia’s tollgate exit.
Work follows an incident where an over-height load cut through part of the understructure at mile marker 126.7, just southwest of the Emporia gate and going over US Highway 50. Turnpike Authority Engineer Shannon Moore, a guest on KVOE’s Morning Show on Monday, says there has been some work done to shore up the bridge through the project contractor, AM Cohron and Son.
Earlier this month, the KTA approved a better than $2 million contract involving several aspects of repairs, including design, utility movement, material construction, demolition, structural steel repair and replacement, traffic control and bridge painting. Moore says it’s some of the worst damage he has seen to a bridge, and he’s not alone.
Traffic has been constricted since the April 18 incident, and Moore says there was good fortune in that the bridge didn’t collapse or have to be totally shut down.
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.
Moore believes the work can be done around Thanksgiving, weather permitting. Recent rounds of rainfall have caused flooding elsewhere, but Moore says the rain hasn’t affected the bridge repairs so far.
