Area bridge could open to traffic next month

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CHAMBERLAIN — Chamberlain and Oacoma residents should be able to begin driving on the Missouri River truss bridge sometime next month.

Tammy Williams, state Department of Transportation area engineer in Mitchell, said four end spans on the west end of the bridge deck will be finished in the next couple of weeks.

“We are hoping to have it open to traffic by Christmas,” she said.

The bridge project is a part of a three-year, $14.88 million endeavor to replace the structure. The two-lane bridge is 36 feet wide and 2,003 feet long.

Heavy Constructors in Rapid City serves as the main contractor on the project.

Unlike most road projects that encountered delays with the wet spring and summer, work was only held up for a few days because the project is out of the water, Williams said.

In addition to the bridge deck, crews replaced two abutment pier caps under the bridge. She noted concrete was damaged by 50 years of salt and contamination debris going through the joints.

Next spring, the bridge will close again for crews to paint the steel trusses. It could be shut down as early as March 15, with an Aug. 1 completion date, Williams said.

The painting will take longer because lead-based paint needs to be removed, she said. Rainbow Inc., a subcontractor in Minneapolis, will take on that task.

“We totally enclose the trusses with a canvas struc- ture around it and collect leadbased paint,” Williams said. “There’s heavy corrosion in a lot of places.”

She has kept the Chamberlain City Commission and Oacoma Town Board updated on the project, meeting with them this month. Both are excited to see the bridge open again, she said, noting officials have been patient.

McDonald’s at King Avenue and Main Street, which is two blocks east of the bridge, is one of the Chamberlain businesses that has been affected by the loss of traffic from the west side of the bridge.

Assistant manager Chad Blasius said he has noticed business is a little slower because of the project.

“We don’t get the people staying over across the river or Cedar Shore (Resort),” he said.

Blasius said he looks forward to the project’s completion, adding he thinks the new bridge will bring more traffic because people will want to drive on it.

Williams acknowledged the project has been an inconvenience for people who live near the bridge. But the new structure will last for 50 years, she said.

“I think in the long run, people will be pleased with the end product,” she said.

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