Roadwork to Begin

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announces the State Road 163 Bridge over the Wabash River will be down to one lane on or after Monday, April 1. This bridge is located just east of Clinton and will be restricted to one 10-foot lane. Motorists will be controlled at the bridge by a traffic signal.

This project was awarded to Force Construction Company, Inc. for $5.3 million. The S.R. 163 Bridge deck will be replaced and widened. This project also included a bridge replacement on S.R. 71 over the Little Vermillion River that was completed last year.

The project will have two separate closures later this year while the contractor pours the deck. These closures will be from Thursday morning to the following Tuesday morning. The closures will be publicized well in advance.

The work is scheduled to be completed by November 14 of this year.

The Sagamore Parkway Eastbound Bridge over the Wabash River at Lafayette will close for six hours overnight Tuesday, March 19.

A team of Purdue and INDOT researchers will be conducting a live load test on the easternmost bridge pier using 12 loaded tri-axle dump trucks. Strain gauge sensors previously installed on the driven foundation piles, will be monitored throughout eight loading scenarios, and vertical deflection of the bridge pier will also be observed using digital surveying instrumentation. This information will assist bridge and foundation engineers in more accurately estimating the actual loads that foundations are likely to experience.

The test will be performed on the bridge between the hours of 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. Eastbound motorists will be informed to seek an alternate route during this time period.