Northbound I-65 over Wildcat Creek will be closed until mid-September, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation, while construction crews use micropiles to help stabilize it.
The bridge has been shut down since August 7, when crews noticed signs of serious structural instability.
INDOT blames the work done by Walsh Construction Co. for causing the bridge to sink 9 inches, forcing the closure. Workers used steel piles to widen bridge piers, but the piles encountered water under pressure. This caused the water to surge under the bridge pier, making the bridge sink. INDOT hopes to use micropiles, which are “high-strength, small-diameter steel casings” which penetrate deep into the soil to stabilize the bridge.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the state has $2.14 billion in reserves, but that Governor Mike Pence says that he will “think about” spending some of that money on highway and bridge repair in 2016 and 2017, even though the American Society of Civil Engineers has given Indiana’s infrastructure a D-.
Sources:
Indy Star
Chicago Tribune
RTV6 | The Indy Channel