More than a year after a key Minneapolis bridge collapsed and killed 13 people, state troopers prepared to lead motorists in a slow procession yesterday morning across the new span that reconnects a highway over the Mississippi River.
Crews were scheduled to remove barricades that have stood since the old bridge fell on Aug. 1 last year reopening a major artery leading in and out of Minneapolis that carried 140,000 trips a day.
The new bridge contains hundreds of sensors that will collect a stream of data. The purpose of the “smart bridge” technology is not to warn of another impending disaster; it is to detect small problems before they become big ones, said Alan Phipps, design manager for the project with Figg Engineering Group Inc of Tallahassee, Florida.
“What these sensors are for, it’s like going to your doctor for your health checkup,” Phipps said. “It’s to ensure you’re maintained in top shape so you never get close to having a serious problem.”
The US$234 million bridge was completed on budget and more than three months ahead of the Dec. 24 deadline. That means the contractors should get a bonus close to the contract maximum of US$27 million, though the actual amount has not been determined.
There also are more visible differences between the new bridge and old. The new bridge is concrete instead of steel and is built with redundant systems so that if one part fails it won’t collapse.
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