9/15/2014
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Girders for McCall’s new Lardo Bridge to be transported Tuesday, set Wednesday morning
Note: Girders will travel up highway Tuesday, with girder setting Wednesday 8 a.m.
BOISE – The second set of three girders for the new Lardo Bridge in McCall on Idaho 55 are expected to be set on the temporary foundation Wednesday (Sept. 17), the Idaho Transportation Department announced. These girders will be set on the temporary structure, just south of the trio of girders set last week.
The 157-foot girders will be transported to McCall on Tuesday (Sept. 16) using U.S. 95, and then Idaho 55 over the Goose Creek pass. The pass will close to northbound traffic from milepost 149-153 for about 40 minutes while the oversized load navigates the curves. Southbound traffic will remain open, but travelers should expect slow conditions. Traffic will be guided by flaggers, and the closure is expected to occur in early afternoon.
Once the girders arrive in McCall, traffic on Lardo Bridge will be reduced to a single lane under flagger control. Girders will be set one at a time. There will be three separate closures of the bridge for 15–20 minutes each while the new girders are set into place. Single-lane operations will continue between each full-closure period. It will take approximately two to three hours to complete the operation.
ITD is replacing the 83-year old Lardo Bridge on the southwest shore of Payette Lake. Ralph L.Wadsworth Construction and Lochner Inc. used ITD’s conceptual design to complete the bridge design and build a new bridge that will accommodate one lane of traffic in each direction along with bicycle and pedestrian facilities on each side of the bridge.
The new bridge is being constructed north of the existing structure. By utilizing an accelerated construction technique called a lateral slide, the new bridge will eventually be slid into place after the old bridge is demolished. This will require a full closure, and traffic will be detoured to Boydstun Street and Deinhard Lane. The Lardo Bridge closure is anticipated for later this fall.
The lateral slide, accelerated construction method being used on Lardo Bridge is the first by ITD to occur in Idaho. This method reduces a full closure of the bridge by months.
New Lardo Bridge Facts:
Girder Length – 157 feet
Girder Weight – 197,000 pounds
Total Project Cost – Approximately $5 million