July 6, 2009

Bridge over Cowan Creek won't open on time

By Scott Wright

CENTRE — Construction on the County Road 22 bridge over Cowan Creek is running several weeks behind schedule, County Engineer Corey Chambers told The Post last week.

“The original construction schedule that we got from the contractor was that traffic would be flowing by the end of July,” Chambers said.

Now, however, it looks like the 240-foot span won't be finished for at least one additional month. He said the job foreman told him last week that he's hopeful the bridge will be ready by the end of August.
“But you've always got to account for things going wrong, so it might be sometime in September,” Chambers said.

Construction began last fall when the Cherokee County Highway Department closed the road leading to the bridge and began moving utilities. A sub-contractor moved onto the site a few weeks later and began drilling holes for the piers that will support the new bridge.

Chambers said several breakdowns with the drilling equipment quickly got the project behind. Then weather became a factor.

“Part of the sawing equipment used to tear the old bridge down works off of water, so on colder days the equipment was freezing up,” he said. “If the temperature was above freezing the contractors could work, but if it wasn't they lost the whole day.”

After the 238-foot original span was finally removed, the next step was drilling the main holes for the supports. At that point, Chambers said the Tennessee-based contractor decided to forego its typical barge and crane configuration in favor of a new, untried pontoon system, which further delayed the project.

“Overall, we've still been pleased with the contractor,” Chambers said. “They keep a clean work site and they've done everything they told us they would, when they said.”

Chambers said drilling is now complete and the shafts are in place up to the water level.
“Wednesday, July 8, we're closing the bridge to boat traffic so we can set the girders,” he said. “Then they will start forming the deck.”

Chambers said the deck should be in place within the next few weeks, as long as the weather cooperates. After that, there will be some grading and reforming of the approaches to accommodate a bridge that is two feet higher than the original.

“We reduced the number of piers in the water from seven to two, so we had to use stronger beams that are thicker,” Chambers said. “And since we wanted the same clearance for boat traffic as before, we decided to raise the new bridge.”

Chambers said he's appreciative of the patience the public has shown since the road closed on Dec. 1.
“For the amount of inconvenience this has caused, we really haven't had as many complaints as you might think,” Chambers said. “But we really are sorry that it's taking as long as it is.”