It's a miracle!
Less than one week ago, the bridge carrying northbound traffic on Highway 45 through the Zoo interchange had to be closed immediately. It was in danger of collapsing!
Temporary repairs to shore up the bridge would not be complete until Memorial Day.
But what was supposed to take eight weeks took eight days!
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
A replacement for the crumbling Zoo Interchange bridge abruptly closed to traffic last week will open Friday, about eight weeks sooner than officials had projected.
The temporary span, started in January, replaces the bridge that state authorities feared would collapse under heavy truck traffic. State Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi announced Wednesday that the temporary bridge to carry traffic northbound on Highway 45 would open for traffic at 5 a.m. Friday.
When state officials closed the bridge a week earlier, the move forced roughly 42,000 motorists a day to detour around the state's busiest interchange or find alternate routes.
It also opened up the work zone for the crews from Milwaukee Constructors LLC, which rallied their efforts from three bridges in the interchange to one.
The concrete for the bridge deck was poured on Saturday, and crews working over the weekend also laid the pavement for the approaches on the north and south sides of the span. Ideal weather over the past week helped provide a good working environment for the installation of the bridge railings and other details.
The ramp from northbound I-894/Highway 45 to eastbound I-94 was closed Saturday night through Monday morning, giving the workers a 31-hour window with easier access to the replacement bridge and greater ability to move heavy equipment in the work zone.
Busalacchi said the extra effort would add to what had been a $15.3 million price tag for the temporary bridges, but he could not provide a specific figure on the escalation.
Eight weeks of work completed in eight days?
What an astonishing accomplishment!
Is this the story of a superhuman effort on a freeway repair project, or is this from Genesis?
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