A bridge project west of downtown is sure to mean some headaches for commuters and students.
Q. A bridge on Spring Street, east of Saint Francis, seems to need to be replaced or repaired; when will this be? – Dale Bricker, Fort Wayne
A. What a timely question, Dale, as the work will happen soon.
Early this month, the Spring Street bridge near Leesburg Road will be closed for repairs over the Norfolk-Southern railroad tracks. According to a written statement from the University of Saint Francis, the bridge will be closed through August 2012.
The bridge is being rehabilitated and widened. A left-turn lane will be added to Leesburg Road, as will an eastbound right-turn lane and a westbound left-turn lane on Spring. The project will also include 8-foot sidewalks on both sides of the bridge and a new traffic signal at the intersection. The intersection, however, will remain open during construction and increased traffic is expected there.
Primco won the project with a bid of about $2.3 million.
The project has been in the works for several years as the 1946 bridge is deteriorating and the intersection is a bottleneck for motorists. About 10,500 vehicles use the bridge daily.
Saint Francis offered alternate routes including State Boulevard, Taylor Avenue, Main Street, Runnion Avenue and Hillegas Road.
MLK Bridge restrictions
As one bridge project is set to begin, another major one downtown is into its final months of work.
The state will limit U.S. 27 southbound between East Superior Street and East Jacobs Avenue to one lane from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. The restriction will allow crews to replace bridge beams on the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge.
Traffic will be briefly stopped as each beam is removed from a tractor-trailer and set individually. Six beams will be set on the center span Monday and six beams will be set on the north span Tuesday.
The project is 75 percent complete, and all three lanes should be open by the end of the year, weather permitting.
Street change
Brackenridge Street is being converted to a one-way street, at least temporarily. The street between Webster and Harrison streets will become an eastbound-only street beginning Monday and lasting five months.
This would have it reopening before the TinCaps begin their next season at nearby Parkview Field. The change will allow contractors to complete restorations to the Ross-Adair Federal Building plaza. The sidewalks along Brackenridge in this stretch, as well as the sidewalk on Harrison between Brackenridge and Douglas Street will also be closed during the work.
Signal activated
The city activated a new traffic signal Thursday at Statesmans Way and Engle Road. The signal is part of a federal project to build the Wabash & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. The new signal will allow trail users to safely cross Engle Road.
Regional closures
•Indiana 9 in Albion between Harrison Street and Washington Street will be closed at 7:30 a.m. Sunday for the rebuilding of a railroad crossing. The road is scheduled to reopen Oct. 16.
•In Butler, Indiana 1 will be closed between Willow Street and Railroad Street for the rebuilding of a railroad crossing. The closure will last from 7:30 a.m. Oct. 10 through Oct. 14.
•Western Avenue in Bluffton will be closed between Wiley Avenue and Decker Drive on Monday. This will allow crews to install upgraded culvert pipe to better drain water for the upcoming Adams Street reconstruction. The work is expected to last until Wednesday evening.
Radio Sage
Our question this week comes from Ron Girardot, who asks about speed limits on Webster Road. The segment originally aired Friday afternoon on WOWO and can be found online at www.journalgazette.net/roadsage.
