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Engineer expects bridge to open October 28; work to continue next spring to complete project

Lead Summary

The construction of County Bridge 336 on CSAH 88, Grant McMahan Boulevard is being closely watch by residents north of there who are finding the added travel time and mileage to Ely cumbersome..
The road has been closed since August 7. According to Matt Hemmila, St. Louis County Bridge Engineer, “All the work is required to be complete by October 28, 2017 with the exception of the final wearing course of bituminous pavement, the concrete wearing course on the bridge and other miscellaneous finishing items. Traffic will resume across the bridge by October 28.”
Hemmila noted, “All the remaining work will be done by the contractor between May 21, 2018 and June 9, 2018. During that time, the bridge will be closed to traffic to allow for the final road paving, bridge painting, installation of the bridge concrete wearing course, pavement markings and road shouldering.
“An early completion incentive was applied to the contract to incentivize the contractor to dedicate additional resources to this bridge if possible. The short closure in 2018 is necessary since the concrete wearing course on the bridge cannot be installed after September 15 due to the effects of weather on the concrete curing period. Additionally, due to the poor soils adjacent to the bridge, installing the final road bituminous paving in 2018 will allow for us to correct any initial settlement that occurs to the approach roadway.”
VIEW - looking south on the bridgework on County Road 88 on the west side of Ely. Photos by Anne Swenson

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