Gold Star Bridge construction on schedule; additional lane to be reduced after Labor Day
A major construction project to improve the southbound structure of the Gold Star Memorial Bridge is on schedule, according to the state Department of Transportation.
After Labor Day, another lane on the mile-long bridge will be closed to allow for additional repairs to the bridge deck, leaving three lanes open to traffic, the DOT said.
Currently, four lanes are open on the normally five-lane bridge. As part of the repair project that began in April, concrete barriers were installed along the length of the bridge to seal off the construction zone.
DOT also says entrance and exit ramps will remain open, but more lane closures may be needed during "off-peak hours."
The $30 million rehabilitation project, awarded to Mohawk Northeast Inc. and scheduled to be completed in November 2018, is intended to preserve the bridge for 25 years, DOT engineers said in a previous interview. The southbound span was built in 1973 and a rehabilitation project was completed in the 1990s.
Keith Schoppe, project engineer for DOT, said in a phone interview last week that the project has so far entailed removing asphalt, patching up deteriorating concrete on the deck, structural steel repairs and painting touch-ups. DOT is currently replacing the bridge joints and continuing to work on structural steel repairs.
He said workers have found the need for fewer patches and repairs to the bridge deck than originally estimated. The workers did find, however, the need for additional paint work and steel repairs, but the public will largely not see these repairs under the bridge and it won't impact the project's schedule, he said.
After another lane is reduced Tuesday night to allow for work in an additional area, the next steps will be for DOT to remove the asphalt in that area and work on concrete deck patching and replacing bridge joints, he said.
Once that is complete, DOT expects to start in October the process of putting down a new membrane over the section of bridge deck sealed off by the barrier, so concrete won't be exposed to elements and salt and moisture won't penetrate into the deck. That section of deck will be re-paved.
DOT expects by Thanksgiving to finish work on the left side of the southbound bridge and move onto the repairs to the southbound bridge's right side, the next stage of the project.
For this stage of the project, there will be times when DOT has to temporarily close the bridge's sidewalk. Schoppe said DOT will add signage and provide a couple of days' notice before closures.
The contractor plans to work during the winter, though it will depend on the weather, he said.
Around Memorial Day 2018, DOT will open another lane — for a total of four — for the busy summer season.
"We're definitely on schedule, as far as hitting those milestones," said Schoppe.
Schoppe said that with narrow shoulders on the bridge during the construction project, the DOT is paying more attention to any debris that collects there and directing contractors to sweep the roadway more frequently.
Around June, DOT added additional traffic drums and lane arrows to help guide traffic over to the right as motorists approach the bridge, and also adjusted some signage.
The project also includes improvements to lighting and overhead signs.
In addition to the southbound structure, DOT is planning for $200 million in upgrades to the northbound structure that will include the replacement of the entire deck. That project will tentatively start in spring of 2018.
u-box
Lane closure information:
The contractor will start work to reduce the additional lane at 8 p.m. Tuesday, DOT said. The first night will entail installing pavement markings to establish the lane shift, as well as starting to move over the concrete barriers. The contractor will continue to move over the barriers for the rest of the week. Milling the pavement in the additional lane is scheduled for Friday.
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.
