1/2/2009
Placement of girders to begin tonight at Robinson Blvd., Black Cat Road
BOISE - Work on the Black Cat and Robinson bridges over Interstate 84 will resume tonight (Jan. 2) when girders will be placed on the south end of the Robinson Boulevard structure, the Idaho Transportation Department announced.
The girder placement will occur between 10 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. Saturday, and will require temporary closure of the outside eastbound I-84 lane in that area.
Dismantling of the remaining (north) span of the Robinson bridge and both spans of the Black Cat structure - located at the Robinson construction yard near I-84 - is expected to begin Monday (Jan. 5) and continue for about two weeks.
Completion of the $8.5 million bridge project is expected by early spring.
The contractor, Graham Construction & Management Inc. of Spokane, will proceed with a conventional build-in-place bridge construction method. The option to build the bridge deck off-site and place it over the interstate is no longer advantageous because footings and piers have been built in place and are ready for girder placement.
A bridge span collapsed during a concrete pour of bridge decks in a field northwest of the former Robinson Road structure. The new plan will allow construction to continue on the bridges while the investigation proceeds.
"By resuming the work now using conventional bridge construction methods, we can finish the project without further delay," said Shawna King, ITD resident engineer overseeing the project. "We've done everything possible to regain time lost to the collapse, and this allows us to focus on the timely completion of the project."
Robinson Boulevard is closed from Franklin Road to Stamm Lane. Black Cat Road is closed between Franklin Road and Overland Road.