ELKHART -- Near-term, things aren't clicking along quite as smoothly as anticipated on the two major bridge upgrades here, on the Johnson Street and Six Span crossings.
That doesn't mean the final completion dates -- Aug. 6, 2010, for Johnson Street Bridge and Oct. 7, 2011, for Six Span -- are in doubt. It's just that some of the looming milestones along the way -- the opening of Beardsley Avenue off Johnson Street Bridge and C.R. 10 off Six Span -- won't happen as originally scheduled.
That said, work is progressing. The deck of the new Johnson Street Bridge section is almost done. Likewise, the first two-lane section of the upgraded Six Span Bridge recently received its first layer of asphalt and is nearing completion.
SIX SPAN BRIDGE
The basics: The existing four-lane bridge over the St. Joseph River is to be torn out and replaced with a seven-lane crossing to accomodate growing traffic. C.R. 17 on either side and C.R. 10 off the north end of the bridge are also getting upgrades.
The bridge: The first new Six Span section, a two-lane structure east of the existing bridge, should be finished by late December, not Dec. 1 as earlier hoped.
Then traffic will be shifted to that new section and, through the winter, the old one will be destroyed and the debris removed, said Tom Rushlow, the Elkhart County Highway Department engineer overseeing the project.
Simultaneously, as the old bridge disappears, crews will start work on the support piers for a new five-lane bridge that will take its place and, ultimately, tie seamlessly into the two-lane section. Work on that five-lane section will last through the winter into 2011.
The rat patrol: The delay in completing the two-lane bridge section stems in part from delays in placing Northern Indiana Public Service Co. and other utility lines within the new bridge infrastructure. That, Rushlow said, stems chiefly from the unwillingness of NIPSCO's unionized workers to cross the picket line of protesters from the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 150.
The protesters, known as the rat patrol, have maintained a regular presence around the Six Span work site, picketing against project subcontractor Niblock Excavating over an 11-year-old labor dispute.
"NIPSCO is trying to get their lines on the bridge and their workers won't work when the picketers are there," said Rushlow.
C.R. 10: The C.R. 10 portion of the Six Span project was to have been completed and reopened to traffic by Nov. 13, but Rushlow now says it probably won't be until mid-December.
C.R. 10 is being widened from two to four lanes between C.R. 17 off the northern end of Six Span Bridge and C.R. 15 to the west. It has been closed there to traffic to accommodate the work since last June.
The delay stems from the late start date of the work along the spot, Aug. 1 instead of June 1. The late start resulted from the slow removal of utilities from the adjacent right-of-way, notably by Verizon, Rushlow said.
Don't fret, though. Rushlow assures that the C.R. 10 closure won't last through the winter.
"One way or another we'll get it paved," he said. "We couldn't leave it like this through the winter."
JOHNSON STREET BRIDGE
The basics: A new span is being built west of the southbound section of the existing structure, which also crosses the St. Joseph River. That'll replace the faulty section that now handles northbound traffic, which is supported by a subtly shifting pier.
Beardsley: Beardsley Avenue west off the northern end of the bridge has been closed to traffic since September 2008 because of the bridge work. The re-opening date has been delayed several times and Katie Niblock, the project engineer for the highway department, now says Nov. 16 should be the day, weather permitting.
The bridge: The new bridge section is quickly taking form and the focus of work will soon shift to the easternmost of the lanes now handling southbound traffic. A sidewalk and railing will be built there, separating it from the westernmost of the lanes in what is now the northbound bridge section.
The work will require closure next week of the easternmost southbound lane, which currently handles southbound vehicles. Accordingly, traffic will be shifted to the two lanes immediately to the west, staying that way through the winter.
Next April, work will begin on the new Johnson Street approaches on either end of the revamped bridge. What are now the southbound lanes will carry northbound traffic and the new section to the west will take over southbound traffic.
The old bridge: The faulty section that now carries northbound traffic will ultimately be abandoned once the project is done and completely enclosed to keep people and autos off of it, said Niblock.