January 7, 2021 - The City of Fort Wayne's Public Works Division today announced enhancements to the Van Buren Street Bridge over the St. Marys River will begin Monday, Jan. 11.
The work will require the closure of Van Buren Street from Superior Street to Pape Avenue. The closure will begin Monday, Jan. 11 and is expected to last through early August. A detour will be established using Main, Wells, and Spring streets.
Primco, Inc., is the primary contractor for the work with a project investment of $2.5 million. The scope of work includes the super structure replacement of the bridge and scour protection. In addition, there will be a trail constructed, wider sidewalks, and a decorative railing and lighting.
The bridge was originally built in 1934 and reconstructed in 1994. It has a current load limit of 14 tons, giving it a rating of 5 out of 10. The existing pre-stressed concrete box beams are cracking, and the improvement project is necessary to prevent a future full closure of the river crossing from further deterioration of the support beams.
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