After working around the clock since Saturday night, contractors completed repairs to the bridge on Upper River Road over I-65 about 14 hours ahead of schedule. All lanes of I-65 are now open.
The girders of the Upper River Road bridge in Priceville were damaged April 29 when they were struck by a piece of equipment improperly loaded on a trailer. Girders are long, horizontal beams that support the bridge deck.
Though all six girders were struck, the outside girder on the north side took the most damage and required a more extensive repair.
Bridge repair
The repair consisted of raising the bridge slightly, repairing steel rebar within the girder, preparing the old concrete surface, constructing wooden forms and pouring new concrete. While concrete on the north outside girder cured, the contractor completed minor repairs to the other five girders.
ALDOT negotiated for the repair to be performed as a $358,185 supplement to a pre-existing $16.1 million contract with Rogers Group for the ongoing resurfacing of I-65 in Morgan County. Coincidentally, that project includes raising the Upper River Road and Parker Road bridges to improve clearances.
ALDOT thanks the public for their patience during the repair, which needed to be performed prior to raising the bridge.
Bridge raising
The bridge will remain closed to Upper River Road traffic throughout July as the contractor raises the bridge. Though the shoulders of I-65 will be closed, ALDOT anticipates no further daytime travel lane closures on I-65 related to the bridge work.
The contractor will raise the bridge 13 inches and build up the approaches to the bridge. The resulting total clearance of 17 feet from the interstate will be one foot above the standard for interstate overpasses.
