Ohio to need 'at least' $10M to repair fire-damaged I-471 on Daniel Carter Beard Bridge
The state of Ohio will need at least $10 million to repair damage from a Nov. 1 fire that partially closed the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge.
In a Thursday afternoon press release, the Ohio Department of Transportation said the total cost of the project will not be known until repairs are done.
"However, preliminary estimates for materials, design and consulting is likely to be at least $10 million," the release said.
The transportation department will pay for the project and then pursue reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Relief Program, officials said. The federal funding is available because Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed an order declaring the project an emergency.
By comparison, the 2020 repair of the Brent Spence Bridge, damaged by fire, cost less than half of the $12 million secured in emergency federal funding, according to Michael Baker International, the Pittsburgh-based engineering consultant on the job.
The Brent Spence was closed for 41 days, starting Nov. 11, 2020, after a semi-truck crashed into a truck that had jackknifed on the Brent Spence and set off a fire.
Demolition work nearly done
The southbound lanes of the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge have been closed since a Nov. 1 fire ignited in Sawyer Point Park underneath it. Three of the four northbound lanes on the bridge reopened the next day.
The park fire damaged southbound Interstate 471 where it connects to the bridge, along with a small portion of the northbound part of the interstate. The bridge itself was not damaged.
Workers completed most of the demolition work on the damaged sections of the interstate deck this week. Next week, shoring towers will be relocated to support rebuilding of the highway. Concrete footers for the towers were poured on Thursday.
Southbound I-471 and the bridge is expected to reopen in March.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: When will Big Mac Bridge be fixed? How much will it cost?
