Half of concrete already poured for new US 25W bridge deck
Workers from Blalock Construction help spread concrete on the deck of the new bridge over the Clinch River in downtown Clinton.
But “cold weather and some COVID-19 problems” have led to delays for the contractor who’s in charge of the work, said Lynn Murphy, the city’s liaison with the Tennessee Department of Transportation on the Lewallen Bridge replacement project.
January marks the 29th month of the project, which is supposed to be completed in a total of 36 months.
Murphy noted that a total of about 3,400 cubic yards of concrete will be poured for the bridge deck, coming in one concrete truckload at a time. Each truck can carry about 10 cubic yards of wet concrete.
A large pump has been set up to move the concrete from the trucks to the deck, which will be nine inches thick and 1,136 feet long.
At the south end of the new bridge, “backfill is taking place adjacent to the bridge, where the bridge approach will be built,” Murphy said in his latest report.
“Crushed stone and a remote-control sheep-foot vibratory roller/compactor are being used. The stone is applied in six-inch-deep lifts, and each individual lift is compacted with the roller. This method eliminates voids in the stone and prevents future settling.”
A 5.5-foot-wide sidewalk will be poured once the bridge deck is completed, Murphy said.
A moving steel structure has been put in place across the bridge to smooth and grade the new surface. Prior to the start of pouring of concrete, construction crews installed 1.5 million pounds of epoxy-coated steel rebar that will hold the concrete in place and reinforce it so it can handle the heavy traffic the new bridge. The new bridge replaces Clinton’s iconic “Green Bridge,” officially named the Lewallen Bridge, which will be torn down and removed after the new span is opened to traffic.
The approach to the new bridge, traveling northbound on Clinch Avenue from South Clinton, adds a 463-foot length of new asphalt.
This approach includes a painted median divider (11 feet wide on the approach, narrowing to eight feet wide on the bridge deck), which creates a safety buffer to separate opposing traffic, Murphy said.
The southbound approach from Charles G. Seivers Boulevard/Tennessee 61 adds a 265-foot length of new asphalt between Tennessee 61 and the concrete bridge deck.Bridge construction is expected to be finished by Aug. 31, when the new span is expected to be opened to traffic.