COLUMBUS -- Cramer & Associates Inc. will not specify a date to open the 33rd Avenue viaduct to traffic, but says it will be open on or before Dec. 5, the contracted date for completion.
City Engineer Matt Cox presented the update on the progress of the viaduct reconstruction project after Monday night’s city council meeting.
Cox reminded the public that 14th Street is expected to remain closed until Friday as Dobson Brothers Construction Co. completed the mainline paving of the 33rd Avenue northbound lanes between 13th and 15th Streets Monday.
The Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) is also unsure regarding the date the 33rd Avenue traffic signals will be up and functional.
Cox said if traffic signals are not ready, the state may leave stop signs up and open the viaduct.
City Councilman Jim Bulkley said the public should be aware that once the structure is open, work in the construction area will continue
“We hope to get traffic going,” Bulkley said, and it may be “open, but not done.”
Cox said drivers should anticipate lane reductions as finishing work is completed following the re-opening.
Afterward, Cox addressed criticisms of the arch bridge and design selected by NDOR.
The arches help suspend the bridge and eliminate the need for support columns between railroad tracks, Cox said.
“It is part of the structure,” he said, and “not purely decorative. The bridge would not stay up with the arches.”
The contracted date to open the structure is Dec. 5 with an incentive of $3,315 for each day, up to 60 days, the project is completed prior to Dec. 5.
A penalty of $3,315 will be assessed against Cramer & Associates for each day the viaduct remains closed following that deadline.
Viaduct to open on time
By Adrian Sanchez asanchez@columbustelegram.com
Tuesday, Oct 20, 2009 - 10:07:17 am CDT
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Ridiculous
Oct 20, 2009 11:56 AM
What do you mean "The bridge would not stay up with the arches." I hope he meant without the arches.half
Oct 20, 2009 9:13 PM
Why open it before the project is complete? As long as Cramer & Assoc is done with their part, it doesn't have to affect their deal. It would be stupid to open it before all the work is done. All this will do is delay the final completion and make a bigger mess.'It may be open but not done'. 2 words, sounds like "half pass", only without the p.
paulcan
Oct 21, 2009 3:34 AM
To "Half"Go look the entire project. There's a lot of little detail work yet that does not involve the viaduct itself (sidewalks,box culverts, curbing on side streets,etc.) It makes perfect sense to get the viaduct open first and mess with the little stuff later.
If the contract has penalties and incentives on either side of the viaduct completion date, they are well within the contract terms to get the viaduct open first and sweat the detail work later.
LET"S ROLL!
city gue
Oct 21, 2009 8:39 AM
Good to see something progressing. The countless knocks against the viaduct didn't slow it down.Now, if we could get some traffic management by Joe & the boys in the morning, as UP struggles to get their work done, we'd make some real progress. 35-45 minutes to cross the tracks in the morning is unacceptable.
get it done
Oct 21, 2009 9:34 AM
I don't care if its complete just open it so that all this truck traffic thru Genoa and Monroe will subside. Sick of having to put up with mess Columbus created for itself then diverted to surounding towns(should have had another viaduct in place first)what about bob
Oct 21, 2009 9:58 AM
"Get it done"Columbus didn't create this mess. This is a state road and they made the detour decisions. Another viaduct would not have changed anything. Trucks would not have been allowed to drive through town and use a city viaduct. If Monroe didn't want traffic they shouldn't have built their town surrounding a highway.
South Sider Stires Lake
Oct 21, 2009 10:10 AM
Great News! I find the delays not to be too long at the tracks - 10 minutes at most if there is a train, more if you get stuck behind 2.I used to have to commute an hour each way everyday so living in Columbus is a dream come true; driving clear across town was only 10 minutes with the viaduct, and now 15 minutes without it is still seems pretty easy.
half
Oct 21, 2009 1:03 PM
To Paulcan;I think you took the words right out of my mouth in the first sentence of your post (edited for clarity); ‘Go look at the entire project’. I see it almost everyday. My guess is that you and I differ on what makes sense. I just think it is incredibly foolish to have instant gratification as a project deliverable. All the little details still require space. It is the equivalent of moving into a house once the exterior walls are complete. It certainly can be done, but it WILL DELAY THE FINAL COMPLETION DATE.
Now, if it is opened early, and they eliminate the detours, I would like to see a peak-hour aerial photo with a 2-lane and the 4-way stops in place. Then they can change the signs outside of town in Buckley’s honor to read: Columbus….it may be open, but not done.
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