MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- It may be a holiday week for some, but work on the I-35W bridge project will continue. Project work anticipated for the week of Nov. 19 includes:
- A giant “triple-nine” crawler crane with a 250-ton lifting capacity will soon be visible on the south side of the river, where it will be used to support drilling work on Pier 2, near the Lower Lock wall. The crane will arrive in pieces on several trucks next week and be assembled on site. It will lift rebar cages, formwork for concrete casting and other heavy loads.
- Pile driving began on Tuesday, Nov. 13, on the south side of the river near the Center Point Energy parking lot. During the next few weeks, more than 100 steel I-beams will be pounded into the ground to support the footings of the bridge piers. As many as 10 beams will be driven in each day. The process, which involves steel-on-steel impact and generates a significant amount of noise, will occur only between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
- Grading work will occur above the historic rock wall on the north side of the river. As part of this, second shifts may start as soon as Monday. The main impact from second-shift work is the need for night lighting from 6 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. Work crews will use “balloon” lights that radiate light downward to reduce the amount of extraneous light. Diesel-powered loaders and dump trucks will be used for grading. Engine noise and backup alarms will be noticeable in some areas.
The public is asked to stay away from the bridge construction area for safety reasons. The best place to view construction activity is the west side of the 10th Avenue bridge. There are several other ways for the public to get an inside look at construction:
- Superintendent Sidewalk Talks, which began last week, provide an opportunity for families, engineering students and other community members to get a closer look at the construction site and get questions answered by Flatiron-Manson representatives.
- Interested people will meet at the corner of Washington and 19th avenues (in front of Grandma’s Saloon) at 11 a.m. any Saturday during the construction. You’ll get first-hand information from the project team’s managers.
- FIGG Engineering, the bridge design team, has developed some illustrations that highlight design characteristics of the bridge and what it will look like at various stages of construction. The graphics are in a PowerPoint presentation at www.dot.state.mn.us/i35wbridge/rebuild/.
For more information, visit www.mndot.gov or call the I-35W Bridge Hotline at 612/236-6901.
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