On Friday, October 16, ODOT District Two will aim to do something that has never been done before in the history of the State of Ohio: remove and replace an interstate bridge over the course of a weekend. This amazing engineering feat will take place on the two Interstate 75 bridges over U.S. Route 6.
The contractor will roll the bridge into place and is referred to as a “Slide-in” bridge or a “lateral slide.” This method is increasingly being used for replacing bridges with minimal traffic disruption.
The goal is to complete the “slide” of the southbound I-75 structure over the course of one weekend. The process began in August 2014, when Kokosing Construction Company Inc. started the design, then fabricate and build the temporary structure to support the new bridge.
During the slide, ODOT will keep two lanes of I-75 traffic open in both directions at all times. The US 6 ramps will be used for the one lane of I-75 traffic while other lane will cross over to the northbound side of the roadway. The weekend of the move will require the full closure of US Route 6. Demolition work will begin on a Friday evening and continue through the night into Saturday morning. The contractor plans to start sliding the bridge on Saturday evening and is hoping that the bridge will move at a rate of approximately 8ft/hr.
