New Completion Date for Washington Avenue Bridge Rehab Pushed Back to August 3
After hearing an update concerning the Washington Avenue Bridge from Jon Karst, HDR Engineering, Sedalia City Council accepted a $68,060 change order from Double Arch Construction, LLC, on Monday night.
The vote was 7 yes, one absent (Redford), and also extended the completion date by 23 days to Monday, Aug. 3.
Jon Karst, PE, SE is the Missouri-Kansas (MO-KS) Bridge Group Leader for HDR Engineering in Kansas City and is the project manager for the Washington Avenue Bridge rehab project.
Karst, who has over 25 years of structural engineering experience, specializes in highway bridge design and infrastructure, and works out of his office at 10450 Holmes Road.
He gave Council an overview of the steel Pratt bridge, constructed in 1910-11 at a cost of $12,000 by the Midland Bridge Company as the “Washington Avenue Viaduct” over the railroad tracks in Sedalia, used by MK&T, Missouri Pacific and now Union Pacific.
In 1959, rusted steel sections of the substructure between the steel support columns and the walkway braces were replaced with angle steel.
In 1961, the City installed a new wood floor and stringers on the approach spans and replaced rusted cross bracing.
In 1973, the approach deck planking was replaced, as well as new wooden guard railings and curbing. Metal was sandblasted and painted at that time. The 22 concrete approach footings were strengthened by steel and additional concrete.
The first major renovation of the bridge occurred 1989, when the truss was replaced, according to the Historic American Engineering Record.
It was rehabbed again in 2013.
The total contract cost for the Washington Avenue Bridge rehabilitation project in Sedalia is $662,874.
The current bridge rehabilitation project involves repairing or replacing 13 supporting columns on the approach, along with concrete work, steel fabrication, and protective coatings compliant with Missouri Department of Transportation standards.
Pettis County committed $400,000 toward the bridge project to support the rehabilitation.
If the present work passes inspection, the bridge hopefully will be reopened to traffic the first week of August.
One interesting side note: A man was arrested for climbing on the Washington Avenue Bridge Monday night around 7:30, just before the Council meeting ended.
18-year-old Brodie David Linden was observed by Sedalia Police climbing on top of the bridge. He was instructed to come down. Linden was then placed under arrest and transported to the SPD.
Linden was fingerprinted and released with a summons for trespassing.
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