Work progresses on both new and old structures for bridge replacement project at Lansing ...

The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) provided a recent update on the progress of the bridge replacement project over the Mississippi River at Lansing, making note of visible changes in both the new bridge construction as well as continued dismantling and demolition of remnants of the former Black Hawk Bridge.

In a combination of visible progress being made in both aspects, the photo above shows how the continued progress on constructing the new bridge (at right in that photo above) has now brought that new structure out further over the river than what remains of the former bridge, which is currently being dismantled, piece by piece, due to its location over the railroad tracks, city streets and homes beneath the structure. That remaining steel structure of the former Black Hawk Bridge will continue to be dismantled throughout the remainder of this winter, and once cleared, the concrete pier visible at left in the photo above underneath the former bridge will be jackhammered away to a depth several feet below ground level before the remaining hole will be filled in and seeded.

Similarly, and nearing its completion as of press deadline for this week’s edition of The Standard, Pier 2 (standing at left in the photo below) of the former Black Hawk Bridge that remained standing in the middle of the river following the bridge’s December 19 demolition has been in the process of being demolished by wrecking ball and jackhammer (as seen in the photo below) to bring the structure down to just above river level. Once that height is reached, DOT officials have reported that diving crews will then drill into the remaining structure under water in order to insert explosives within the concrete structure that will then be discharged underwater to demolish the remainder of that pier below the 26-foot depth required by the U.S. Coast Guard to safely accommodate commercial river traffic, which will bring it very close to the riverbed in that area. No extensive “safe zone” is being required during that explosion event, although car ferry and other river traffic will be halted for what is believed to be about half a day when it occurs, with DOT officials saying they will make public notification of that intended date and time once it is scheduled.

DOT officials have also noted that the explosive charges will be put in place and discharged in such a way that there is no concern about damaging the new piers adjacent to those being demolished. The distance between the new and old piers also further ensures that low degree of impact. A further update also indicates that the protective dolphins (one of which can be seen in the middle of the photo below) will also be removed from the river, with DOT officials noting that the piers poured for the new bridge were made to withstand barge hits, making the dolphins no longer necessary. The remnants of that old concrete pier and the dolphins will then have to be extracted from the river once their demolition is complete, with crews using long-reach excavators to dig up the remnants and sonar equipment to make sure all remnants are cleared away. Officials say the demolition process of the concrete piers and remaining steel bridge structure are anticipated to be completed by spring, provided the weather continues to cooperate. Meanwhile, once the construction of the new steel structure on the Iowa side (pictured above) reaches a certain point, the focus of that same steel construction process will begin on the Wisconsin side of the project. Photos courtesy of the Iowa Department of Transportation.

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