Engineers used drones and a robotic dog to examine the approach to the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge earlier this week. The span was damaged by fire last Friday. An Ohio Department of Transportation spokeswoman says soon, they'll be able to get a close-up look, safely.
Kathleen Fuller says contractors will erect support towers as the beginning of repair work.
"The shoring towers are used during that initial phase as you're doing some of the initial work to build that bridge deck and they just look like monstrous pieces of scaffolding."
The roadway, a sign truss, and three beams were compromised by the fire that broke out in Sawyer Point last Friday. The fire destroyed a wood and plastic playground.
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Fuller says shoring towers will look like scaffolding under the bridge.
"But they're much more substantial, obviously because they can carry a heavy load, they can carry the load of the bridge and people being on it and the workers and the crew," she says. "So this is going to be a support mechanism, a support device to provide stability for the bridge and to keep it stable while they work to repair it."
Fuller says the shoring towers will be temporary. Once they are established, engineers will get a more detailed view of the damage from the fire, which she says will help in planning repairs.
Four years ago, fire damaged the Brent Spence Bridge, but contractors didn't put up shoring towers for their repairs.
"We have an apples-to-apples but not the-exact-same-type-of-apple comparison," she says. "We need vertical support. You see all that bent metal up there on those beams and, and all that damage that has been incurred. We need something to support that structure and so that's what those towers are gonna do."
The fire is still under investigation.
On Wednesday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency in Hamilton County. The proclamation means ODOT can use funds from the Federal Emergency Relief Program to help pay for repairs.
Part of Sawyer Point reopened Wednesday as well. Cincinnati Parks says the western lawn, the southern pathway, and the pickleball/tennis courts had all been blocked off, but are accessible again. There are still restrictions, including some parking, and Pete Rose Way remains closed under the bridge.
