Demolition of the Long Street bridge over I-71 should be completed by the end of the week, according to ODOT. The demo work started in April of last year, when half of the bridge was taken down and work began on construction of the new bridge. That new section is now open for traffic, allowing for the demolition of the remainder of the old bridge. Cars, buses and people have been able to cross the freeway on Long Street throughout the entire project.
With only a couple of piers from the old bridge to move and some abutment work on the east side of the bridge to be finished up, the project is nearly ready to move on to its next stage. The finished bridge will feature sidewalks on each side, landscaped green space, and a cultural wall.
One block to the north, the new Spring Street bridge has been partially open since October, but is also scheduled to be completely finished, with pedestrian amenities and landscaping, by sometime this summer. Work on the two collector roads that will run parallel to the freeway on each side (to be called Elijah Pierce Boulevard and Lester Avenue) is scheduled to begin this summer.
ODOT maintains facebook and twitter pages with more information on the project and weekly updates on lane closures and other traffic updates.
And visit the messageboard for ongoing discussion on the project including photos and videos.
Photo by Walker Evans.