'Unforeseen repairs' delay work on Hurlburt Field pedestrian bridge over U.S. 98
HURLBURT FIELD — Work on the pedestrian bridge that had crossed U.S. Highway 98 and linked base housing at Hurlburt Field with a recreational area on the south side of the highway is still within the timeline for reinstallation, but "unforeseen repairs" are delaying the work.
The bridge was removed from its supports last October to correct some safety-related issues. At the time, repairs and reinstallation were slated to take about six months.
But according to information from the public affairs office at the 1st Special Operations Wing (1st SOW), a need for previously unforeseen work on the structure was discovered while the contractor for the job — Wright Brothers LLC of Andalusia, Alabama — was performing some required ultrasonic testing.
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Ultrasonic testing involves the transmission of high-frequency sound waves into materials to detect flaws. A 1st SOW email did not go into detail about what the testing revealed. The email did note, however, that the testing prompted some additional design and repair work.
"A new completion date is not yet known as the contractual efforts continue," the email said in response to a Daily News inquiry on the status of the bridge repair.
When the bridge is ready to be set back into place, some lane shifts and a temporary closure of U.S. 98 at Hurlburt Field will be required. That same process was used when the bridge was taken down and placed beside the road to allow repairs to be made.
The 1st SOW email did provide some detail on exactly what has been done and what is being done to repair the bridge. Among other things, the bottom span is being reinforced with metal plates, and similar strengthening will be done at the bridge's existing bolted connection points. The repair work will also include repainting the bridge as a hedge against corrosion, the email noted.
"These repairs will strengthen the bridge, resulting in a more robust structure than the original design," stated the email, which was prepared in conjunction with engineering personnel at Hurlburt.
Work on the bridge has not been confined to the section that spans the highway. On the northern side, a support structure already has been improved by strengthening it with "sheet piles," sections of interlocking material that retain soil in place.
The need for sheet piling on the northern end was discovered after Hurricane Sally, a Category 2 storm that rolled across the area on Sept. 16, 2020.
A Florida Department of Transportation inspection conducted immediately after the hurricane discovered that flooding from Sally and previous hurricanes and tropical storms had eroded the area surrounding the bridge's northern support structure.
That erosion, in turn, undermined the bridge's foundation and entrance ramp supports, as evidenced by the settling and cracking of the support structure. The repairs made in that area will address soil movement concerns around the support structure, according to the 1st SOW email.
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Hurlburt pedestrian bridge reinstallation delayed due to needed repairs
