Highway 178 bridge opens after eight months
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BY THE CHIPPEWA HERALD
Wednesday, November 23, 2005 1:36 PM CST
For the first time since April 6, the Highway 178 bridge over Duncan Creek is open for traffic.
The bridge, part of a $3 million project to straighten out a part of Highway 178 through Chippewa Falls' East Hill, was scheduled to be completed Sept. 23.
Instead, it opened for traffic Tuesday, Nov. 22, nearly two months later.
The state Department of Transportation said soil borings included in design plans didn't match what the project's subcontractor found in the field. Workers had expected to find solid bedrock at one elevation but that didn't pan out.
Workers tried to remove one of the old bridge abutments, but there was concern it would affect the office of attorney David Raihle, Jr. The work was stopped so a redesign could be done.
In addition, there was a disagreement over the shoring used by the subcontractor.
The result was the delay in getting the bridge done and open to traffic.
A-1 Excavating of Bloomer was the project contractor and Zenith Tech of Mosinee was the subcontractor. The DOT typically assesses a fee to the project contractor for every day the project goes past the scheduled completion date, in this case, Sept. 23. And, typically, the contractor then assesses fees against the subcontractor.
More importantly, drivers can resume using the bridge, something they haven't been able to do for over eight 1/2 months.
The opening also returns Rushman Drive to two-lane traffic. It had been restricted to one lane much of the year while bridge work continued.
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