Abutment rehabilitation phase of the Granite bridge replacement project is now underway
As readers of Ark Valley Voice may already know, work on the historic 1911 Granite Bridge spanning the Arkansas River at the town of Granite has been underway since November. This week, crews from Native Sun Construction will be placing a cofferdam on both sides of the river during the project in two different phases.
A cofferdam is a wall which will divert water from one side of the bridge foundation so that abutment rehabilitation can occur. (If you are interested in what exactly cofferdams are, watch this three-minute video.)
If you’re a “sidewalk engineer”, here’s the process:
- Once the first cofferdam is completed this week, water will be diverted to the west side of the river, enabling rehabilitation on the east side abutment.
- Next, they will install sump pits in the east side to pump out excess water.
- Once this is in place, the crew will install a soil nail (steel rod) and pressure grout, which will firm up the soil around the foundation of the bridge, thus rehabilitating it.
This work is expected to be complete by late January, at which time the second cofferdam will be installed to divert water to the east side, enabling abutment rehabilitation on the west side of the river.
Logo courtesy Chaffee County, Colorado
Chaffee County Road & Bridge notes; “The river will be restricted to 9 feet but will be passable by boat traffic. Vehicle traffic over the bridge will not be impacted.”
Project phases
- Abutment rehabilitation – continues to early March
- Bridge foundation replacement – early March – late April
- Replacement of bridge superstructure -May *One day bridge closure
- Modification and rehabilitation of existing truss- early May – early June
- Project completion work – mid June- early July
Project and traveler notes
- Work is expected to be complete by early July 2024
- Normal (winter) working hours will be from Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- The roadway shall remain open while improvements are being made.
- *There will be a bridge closure for one day. Residents and property owners of Granite will be notified in advance of this event.
If you have questions or concerns or if you would like to be added to the public outreach contact list to receive construction updates, you’re asked to please contact:
- Project information hotline: 970-765-7160
- Project Email: granitebridgereplacement@gmail.com
Featured image: Historic 1911 Granite Bridge spanning the Arkansas River at the town of Granite in Chaffee County, Colorado. Photo by James Baughn.
Recent Comments