Green Bay’s Department of Public Works on June 22 extended the closure of the Main Street bridge until July 2.
The department did not specify a reason for the extension. Facilities manager Trista Hobbs and civil engineer Kayla Wasielewski did not immediately respond to clarifying questions from the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
It’s the second time that the department has delayed reopening the bridge, officially called the Ray Nitschke Memorial Bridge, which is undergoing repairs to its counterweights in a larger $1.4 million job by Lunda Construction to address the bridge’s aging condition.
The department had first announced the bridge would close for about half of June, from June 1-19. The day of the bridge’s scheduled closure, it stayed open to traffic. Following a question from the Press-Gazette as to why the bridge was still open, the department announced that the bridge would be closed from June 4-25 “due to unforeseen circumstances.”
Hobbs did not respond to a question from the Press-Gazette at the time to clarify the unforeseen circumstances.
Bid documents outlining the scope of work to be done on the bridge said that should the bridge need to be lifted for access to the counterweights and the deck’s underbelly, such a closure “must be completed prior to June 26.” The bid documents said the bridge must remain open to traffic for the Fourth of July weekend.
The contract awarded to Lunda Construction addresses deficiencies in the bridge that was “beginning to show its age,” a public works memo to the city’s Improvement and Services Committee said. Bid documents said the work includes replacing “unsound” concrete in the bridge deck, fixing corroded steel reinforcement, and addressing the bridge’s joints and counterweights.
The repairs would “prolong the useful life of the structure,” the memo said.
Jesse Lin is a reporter covering the community of Green Bay and its surroundings, as well as politics in northeastern Wisconsin. He also writes a weekly column answering reader questions about Green Bay. Contact and send him questions at 920-834-4250 or jlin@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay’s Main Street bridge won’t reopen until July 2, department says
Reporting by Jesse Lin, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jesse Lin, Green Bay Press-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
