Twisted Groat Road girders have been repaired, city says

Three warped girders on the 102nd Avenue bridge over Groat Road have been repaired and will be reinstalled this weekend, the city says.

The news comes almost two months after the girders twisted on March 15 while being positioned by cranes. City officials said at the time that if the damagedgirders could be repaired,the bridge would reopen much sooner than if new ones had to be manufactured.

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"That's great news from our perspective," saidByron Nicholson, director of special projects for roads design and construction."We're happy where we're at. Of course, we'd rather it had turned out differently from the get-go."

The girders twisted while being installed in mid-March. When the city first learned about the extent of the damage, it was thought that replacing the girders would delay the project by up to a year.

The bridge was originally scheduled to reopen this fall. Nicholson said the completion date is still uncertain, but it seems likely any delays will be much shorter than the city first feared.

"A lot of work has happened since the first incident," he said. "But as far the outcome, we're very confident that the girders have been taken back to theshop and repaired.

"And so I think the public should also have confidence that the bridge is going to meet its intended design."

The city is still awaiting a final report to determine why the girders twisted in the first place.

"Since the original damage occurred to three girders back in March, city and contractor staff have been working around the clock to evaluate the damage, repair the girders and inspect their integrity," said Nicholson. "The city and its experts are certain that this solution will be safe and reliable as we move forward with the project."

Cold and heat processes were used to straighten the three bent girders. On girder No. 5, the manufacturer cut off a section of the top flange, replaced it and restored the overall structural integrity, Nicholson said.

He called that "standard practice" in steel manufacturing.

"A team of engineers, including the contractors, the consultant, city engineers and the third-party engineering adviser to the city agreed that none of the girders would be used unless safety and integrity could be guaranteed beyond any doubt," said Nicholson. "We are receiving documentation that the bridge will be completely safe through its 75-year service life."

Groat Road will be closed to all traffic between 107th Avenue and River Valley Road starting at 7:30 p.m. on Friday until 6 a.m. on Tuesday, May 19, while crews reinstall the repaired girders.

Once the girders are secured and braced, the contractor will be asked to provide a revised construction schedule with a new anticipated completion date for the project.

While Groat Road is closed to traffic, parking will be banned along the east side of 116th Street between 100th Avenue and Jasper Avenue. There will be no access to the multi-use path next to Groat Road during the closure.

The city said it may need to close Groat Road on the weekend of May 29 to June 1 to complete the installation work.