Big Mac Bridge To Fully Reopen Sunday Evening, A Month Ahead Of Schedule

Gov. DeWine: Big Mac Bridge to fully reopen Sunday evening, a month ahead of schedule

LEADING THE WAY. IF YOU UNDER-PROMISE AND OVERDELIVER, THAT’S WHAT YOU WANT. THE BIG MAC BRIDGE REPAIR. THE PROJECT IS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE, SO UNLESS CREWS RUN INTO MAYBE SOME UNFORESEEN TROUBLE, THE BRIDGE COULD REOPEN BEFORE THE EARLY MARCH PREDICTION HOUR. WLWT NEWS BRIAN HAMRICK IS LIVE TONIGHT TO EXPLAIN WHAT’S BEHIND THIS NEW TIMELINE. HI, BRIAN. YES, WELL, EVERYBODY CAME TOGETHER ON THIS ODOT GREAT LAKES CONSTRUCTION, AND THE MAJOR PLAYER ON THIS THAT REALLY HAD AN IMPACT ON THE TIMELINE. THE WEATHER. THIS IS A PROJECT THAT READS LIKE A NOVEL. IT’S VERY DRAMATIC. THAT’S WHAT I GUESS. I GUESS WE PUT IT IN THE DRAMA CATEGORY IN THE BOOK OF BIG MAC BRIDGE REPAIR. THE NEXT CHAPTER, I GUESS WE ARE NEARING THE EPILOG IS THE LAST CHAPTER. RIGHT NOW WE ARE. YOU KNOW, I FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE IN SAYING THAT WE’RE AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. I AM CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC. ODOT SPOKESWOMAN KATHLEEN FULLER SAYS THE LAST OF THE NEW CONCRETE WAS POURED OVER THE WEEKEND. SEEN FROM ABOVE IN THE LIGHT COLORED SURFACE, STANDING OUT LIKE A $10.5 MILLION BANDAGE. BUT THERE’S STILL GROOVING, STRIPING AND INSPECTION TO BE DONE, AMONG OTHER DETAILS. SO EVEN IN DRYING CONCRETE, NOTHING IS WRITTEN IN STONE. WE DO HAVE SOME WEATHER IMPACTS THIS WEEK THAT COULD POTENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, COULD SWAY THINGS ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. THE BRIDGE HAS BEEN CLOSED SINCE A MASSIVE FIRE ON NOVEMBER 1ST FOR BEEN ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH THE FIRE. WE’RE NOT MAKING MONEY AT THIS. RIGHT? WE. IT’S JUST A MATTER OF NOT BEING ABLE TO AFFORD TO LOSE ANY MORE MONEY AT ROEBLING. BOOKS AND COFFEE. IF YOU WERE WRITING A BOOK ABOUT THIS THING, WHAT KIND OF BOOK WOULD IT BE? WHAT WOULD BE THE TITLE OF THIS THING? WELL, THAT’S A GREAT QUESTION. RICHARD HUNT IS THE OWNER. WHERE THE SHUT DOWN IS A HARD BACK, FULL OF HARD TIMES. WELL, I MEAN, IT’S IT’S TESTED US AND I THINK IT’S TESTED EVERYBODY IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY. THERE’S NO BUSINESS WITHIN A MILE OF THE RIVER THAT HASN’T BEEN, YOU KNOW, DAMAGED BY THE LAST THREE MONTHS. IT’S A BRIDGE SHUT THAT’S TAKING A TOLL. THAT’S THE WAY TO SAY IT. THAT’S THE THAT’S THE TITLE WE WANTED. IT’S GOING TO TAKE A TOLL. YEAH. EVERYBODY TRYING TO KEEP A SENSE OF HUMOR ABOUT THIS. IT’S A LITTLE DIFFICULT RIGHT NOW, BUT THERE’S NO SPECIFIC DATE GIVEN FOR THE REOPENING. EVEN THOUGH IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS GOING TO BE PUSHED EARLIER. BUT IF YOU START ADDING UP ALL OF THESE THINGS, LIKE A 7 TO 10 DAYS FOR THE CONCRETE TO CURE, YET THEY’LL HAVE A COUPLE OF DAYS FOR THE INSPECTION. THERE’S SOME OTHER DETAILS. THIS THING COULD OPEN AS EARLY AS MAYBE TWO WEEKS FROM NOW. REPORTING LIVE BRIAN HAMRICK, WLWT NEWS FIVE. EVERYONE WHO USES THAT BRIDGE IS SAYING YES. FINALLY, BRIAN, THANKS FOR THE UPDATE. BY THE WAY, THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION EXPECTS TO HAVE AN U

Gov. DeWine: Big Mac Bridge to fully reopen Sunday evening, a month ahead of schedule

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine says that all lanes of the Daniel Beard Bridge, known as the Big Mac Bridge, will be reopening on Sunday evening.A specific time on Sunday has still not been set, but will be released soon, according to DeWine.“Reopening southbound access to this bridge in just over three months is a tremendous accomplishment,” said DeWine of the announcement. “The closure of these lanes wasn’t only an inconvenience but also a disruption to the supply chain. I applaud our ODOT team and their partners for working hard to finish the project ahead of schedule.”Originally the bridge was scheduled to reopen in early March.This Sunday will mark exactly 100 days since the bridge’s southbound lanes were severely damaged by fire on Nov. 1.Between now and Sunday, crews will be putting the final touches on the roadway, with construction tasks that include “grinding and grooving the deck, final welding below the expansion joint seal, and pavement striping,” according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.“Emergency projects require a lot of very quick action and around-the-clock work,” said ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn. “I am extremely proud of the efforts put in to getting this bridge and highway fully reopened.”The bridge has caused widespread headaches for those seeking to travel from Ohio into Kentucky since the bridge’s southbound lanes were closed down. Many commuters say that it has extended their travel time across the Ohio River significantly, while some northern Kentucky businesses attribute the bridge’s closure to a drop-off in sales that they say they’ve seen since November.This is a breaking news story and will be updated with more information as it becomes available.

CINCINNATI —

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine says that all lanes of the Daniel Beard Bridge, known as the Big Mac Bridge, will be reopening on Sunday evening.

A specific time on Sunday has still not been set, but will be released soon, according to DeWine.

“Reopening southbound access to this bridge in just over three months is a tremendous accomplishment,” said DeWine of the announcement. “The closure of these lanes wasn’t only an inconvenience but also a disruption to the supply chain. I applaud our ODOT team and their partners for working hard to finish the project ahead of schedule.”

Originally the bridge was scheduled to reopen in early March.

This Sunday will mark exactly 100 days since the bridge’s southbound lanes were severely damaged by fire on Nov. 1.

Between now and Sunday, crews will be putting the final touches on the roadway, with construction tasks that include “grinding and grooving the deck, final welding below the expansion joint seal, and pavement striping,” according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.

“Emergency projects require a lot of very quick action and around-the-clock work,” said ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn. “I am extremely proud of the efforts put in to getting this bridge and highway fully reopened.”

The bridge has caused widespread headaches for those seeking to travel from Ohio into Kentucky since the bridge’s southbound lanes were closed down. Many commuters say that it has extended their travel time across the Ohio River significantly, while some northern Kentucky businesses attribute the bridge’s closure to a drop-off in sales that they say they’ve seen since November.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated with more information as it becomes available.

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