November 16, 2007
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From the east bank of the Mississippi just North of the Washington Avenue bridge or from the north side of the Washington Avenue bridge walkway you can view most of the old bridge structural girders laid out on the ground.
I-35W Bridge over the MississippiNov. 15, 2007Greetings! If you have questions, please do not reply directly to this email. Contact Amy Barrett, Public Information Officer, at (612) 807-3264 or via e-mail at abarrett@flatironcorp.com.
I-35W Bridge Work Gets Heavier
It may be a holiday week for some, but work on the bridge will continue. The following work will occur the week of Nov. 19:
Heavy lifting begins
A giant “triple-nine” crawler crane with a 250-ton lifting capacity will soon be visible on the south side of the river, where it will be used to support drilling work on Pier 2, near the Lower Lock Wall. The crane will arrive in pieces on several trucks next week and will be assembled on site. Once assembled, it will lift the big rebar cages, formwork for cement casting, and other extremely heavy loads.Driving in full gear
Pile driving began on Tuesday, Nov. 13, on the south side of the river, near the Center Point Energy parking lot. During the next few weeks, over 100 steel I-beams will be pounded into the ground to support the footings of the bridge piers. As many as 10 beams will be driven in each day. This process, which involves steel-on-steel impact and generates a significant amount of noise, will only occur from 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Not-so-bright lights, big city
Grading work will occur above the historic rock wall on the north side of the river. As part of this, second shifts may start as soon as Monday, which will require night lighting from 6 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. Work crews will use “balloon” lights that radiate down to reduce light disruptions to area residents. Diesel-powered loaders and dump trucks will be used for grading. Engine noise and backup alarms will be noticeable in some areas.
Getting a closer look
The public is asked to stay away from the bridge construction area for safety reasons. The best place to view construction activity is the west side of the 10th Avenue Bridge.
There are several other ways for the public to get an inside look at construction:Sidewalk Talks
An opportunity for the public to get a closer look and get questions answered is at Flatiron-Manson’s Sidewalk Superintendent Talks, which began last week.
Interested parties should meet at the corner of Washington and 19th Avenues (in front of Grandma’s Saloon) at 11 a.m. on Saturday during the construction. Project team representatives will provide a current update on construction and answer questions.
Bridge shots
FIGG Engineering, the bridge design team, has developed a set of illustrations that highlight design characteristics of the bridge and what it will look like at various stages of construction. These are available in a Powerpoint presentation at www.dot.state.mn.us/i35wbridge/rebuild/The public is asked to stay away from the bridge construction area for safety reasons. The best place to view construction activity is the west side of the 10th Avenue Bridge.The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) and the Flatiron-Manson construction team intend to build a high quality and safe bridge while minimizing interruptions to the surrounding neighborhoods.We will continue to distribute updates weekly and welcome your comments on how to improve the communication process between the project team and the community.For more information on the I-35W project visit www.mndot.gov or call the I-35W Bridge Hotline at 612-236-6901.
