The Ohio Department of Transportation is releasing a projected timeline for repairing and reopening the Daniel Carter Beard/Big Mac Bridge. ODOT District 8 Public Information Officer Kathleen Fuller says the agency is targeting early March to reopen the span.
"Fingers crossed, everybody," Fuller said during a media briefing Wednesday. "We have to really hope and pray for a mild winter and that we don't get slammed with any severe weather that would stop work from happening. Pouring concrete is going to be weather sensitive. It's weather contingent for us."
The southbound lanes of the I-471 span have been closed since an early morning fire Nov. 1 that burned at extremely high temperatures, warping the steel girders. One northbound lane remains closed because of damage to a 70-foot section of parapet wall. ODOT aims to have that lane open by the end of December.
Fuller says the entire planning and repair process would normally take three years. Demolition is slated to begin Friday.
"Demolition takes about three weeks, so probably middle of December we should have the concrete deck and the girders down," she said, noting the demolition won't be typical. "Crews can't simply just go in and cut the concrete bridge deck and remove the damaged concrete, and then cut the damaged steel beams and remove them, which would be a standard demolition, so we had to develop very specialized, detailed plans."
Instead, Fuller says, that process will be slow because the damaged concrete deck has to be removed in sections.
Meanwhile, ODOT is contracting with Nucor Steel to provide the steel needed to make the replacement girders, and Stupp Bridge in Bowling Green, Ky, to do the fabrication. The steel components are slated for delivery in Cincinnati by mid-January.
RELATED: Sawyer Point fire closes I-471, Daniel Carter Beard bridge
"We will repair the concrete pier cap on the damaged section. We'll replace the bearings and expansion joints. We're going to erect a total of seven new girders," Fuller explains.
Each girder will be 556 feet long, and crews will replace more than 7,600-square feet of concrete deck.
Finding a steel provider and fabricator was a challenge given the high demand created by Hurricane Helene rebuilding efforts in North Carolina and Tennessee, and the large number of construction projects across the country.
There is currently no cost estimate, according to ODOT Press Secretary Matt Bruning. He says the agency will pay for the repairs then file for federal reimbursements.
Not like the Brent Spence Bridge
Many questions have been raised about how long it has taken to get a repair plan in place, with many pointing to the fact that the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet was able to make major repairs to the Brent Spence Bridge in about six weeks when it withstood a massive inferno four years ago.
"Unlike 471, the stability of Brent Spence was never really an issue," said Bruning.
RELATED: Repairs on fire-damaged I-471 bridge approach begin with 'shoring towers'
That means, he said, crews didn't have to erect shoring towers in order to stabilize the bridge for inspection and repairs, as has been needed in the case of the I-471 bridge.
Secondly, the Brent Spence Bridge has a more traditional design, meaning it required standard repair materials.
"This bridge is uniquely built," said Bruning. There's no off-the-shelf items that we're going to be able to use. This is all having to be custom made. [The] Brent Spence had steel that was — they're called stringer beams — that are a little more standard and easier to obtain."
What's the rule about having flammable items under a bridge?
Various news outlets have raised concerns about a memo from the Federal Highway Administration that asked states to check for flammable materials being stored under bridges. The memo was issued following a fire under the I-10 bridge in Los Angles in 2023.
Bruning reports ODOT did follow that memo and inspect state bridges, finding various building materials, abandoned semi-trailers, propane tanks and more, all of which he says were removed. He also told media, ODOT crews had previously found and removed items even prior to the federal memo.
However, he says the agency has found nothing in its records that anyone ever raised concerns about the Sawyer Point playground being located under the bridge, despite it being constructed from similar materials (wood and rubber pellets) that were found and removed from beneath other bridges.
"We've been asked that question, and we have looked through a lot of emails, documents from real estate permits section. We have no records responsive to that question that's been asked. We've even reached out to former ODOT employees who would have worked here at that time," said Bruning. "I know there's been a report that permission was granted by ODOT [for the playground]. Again, we have no records that would bear that out."
The Cincinnati Fire Department says it's still investigating and has not issued an official cause for the Nov. 1 fire. However, it has said the wood and plastic playground structure and rubber mulching resulted in the fire burning at very high intensity — hot enough to compromise the steel girders and destabilize the southbound side of the bridge.
