Workers from Scarsella Bros, Inc. work to place the third of six 160-foot wide girders which will span Reynolds Avenue in Centralia on Monday afternoon.
Workers from Scarsella Bros, Inc. work to place the third of six 160-foot wide girders which will span Reynolds Avenue in Centralia on Monday afternoon.
A project above Reynolds Avenue in Centralia responsible for both traffic stops and rolling delays on Interstate 5 was halfway completed Monday.
Crews with Scarsella Bros. Inc. placed six girders, large 180,000-pound concrete beams, into place for a new bridge that will cross over Reynolds Avenue.
The 160-foot beams were put in place with the help of two cranes that worked in synchronicity to place the girders in their designated locations. In all, six girders span the width of the new bridge, a structure that will later be equipped with a bridge deck and covered with concrete.
Two sets of three crew members worked on each side of the girders after they were set in place so they could tie-in the structures.
“The three guys are moving the rebar and shifting it around because it goes in as a puzzle,” Amanda Hawkins, an engineer, said.
The process of lifting the girders took 10 to 15 minutes from the moment the cranes picked them up to when the concrete beams were released to be secured.
Bart Treece, communications manager for the Washington State Department of Transportation, said that it will take about two months before the bridge is completed. From there, crews will work to regrade and straighten out a “dip” in I-5 to better improve sight distance for drivers.
Multiple factors had to come together to ensure the project ran smoothly as rolling slow downs on I-5 and traffic delays on Reynolds Avenue were implemented to reduce any safety risks to vehicle traffic. The railroad also coordinated with crews so materials could be mobilized without impacting rail traffic.
“This is about as tight as it gets,” Vern Roy, chief inspector, said about the working corridors. “There is a whole lot going on in this little space.”
The construction is part of the Mellen Street to Blakeslee Junction project that aims to improve safety and decrease congestion on I-5, Treece said. Also included in the project were ramp reconfigurations at both Harrison Avenue and Mellen Street and a collective distributor lane, or a direct connect lane, between the two exits.
Overall, Treece said safety is of the utmost importance, and a strong emphasis is placed on how to keep traffic moving, while keeping construction crews safe.
“We want everyone to go home at the end of the day, bottom-line,” Treece said.
The work directly over Reynolds Avenue was completed on Monday, but crews still have six additional girders to place next to the roadway to complete the span of the bridge. Up to 45 minute delays were experienced for street traffic on Monday, and today’s work will also come with some traffic delays, although they are expected to be much shorter.
