Final Demolition, Rebuilding Of Rockville Road Bridge Begins

The Indiana Department of Transportation says final demolition and rebuilding of part of the U.S. 36 / Rockville Road bridge over northbound Interstate 465 will resume Jan. 30.

What to expect ahead

Rieth-Riley Construction crews will install construction zone signs and begin selectively removing concrete and steel at the east end bridge abutment to prepare the site for new beams and reconstruction of the bridge deck. This work will be done from the eastbound Rockville Road loop ramp to northbound I-465, which remains closed. INDOT says no traffic restrictions on I-465 are expected during this part of the project.

In the upcoming weeks, similar removals will be performed at the median pier. This work will install temporary concrete barriers to close the shoulders of I-465. One left lane of northbound and southbound I-465 will be closed during overnight hours.

Some remaining portions of the bridge deck over northbound I-465 will also be removed before rebuilding can begin. INDOT says this will require some overnight multiple-lane closures on both directions of I-465 in the weeks ahead. Specific dates and times of lane closures will be announced in advance.

About the project

The U.S. 36 / Rockville Road bridge over I-465 was rebuilt in 2009 as part of the Accelerate 465 corridor project. The existing bridge plans are being used to reproduce replacement beams. Four beams, each weighing about 70 tons and measuring 125 feet long, have been ordered. INDOT says current estimates for beam production and delivery are about six to eight weeks. 

INDOT is using an existing bridge maintenance and repair contract with Rieth-Riley to begin construction and complete the emergency repairs as soon as possible. The on-call, or job-order, contract is designed for high-priority bridge repairs that are beyond what can typically be performed by INDOT’s in-house maintenance crews. The pilot program was launched in early 2016 and is intended to reduce project delivery time and costs.

INDOT says it will seek reimbursement on behalf of taxpayers for damages to state property. The damages to the Rockville Road bridge are much more extensive than a typical INDOT claim. On claims of this size, INDOT’s practice is not to estimate but rather invoice based on actual expenses.

About the bridge damage

The bridge was damaged during the morning rush hour on Jan. 10 when a mobile car crusher on northbound I-465 crashed into the structure and destroyed four of about 14 load-bearing girders.

After closing the interstate and the overpass to secure the location and assess damage, INDOT engineers determined the damaged girders would be removed. Contractors worked overnight to remove portions of the bridge were completed and the interstate reopened the following afternoon.

One lane of eastbound traffic on Rockville Road is shifted across the median to share the undamaged westbound side of the bridge until reconstruction is complete. The eastbound Rockville Road loop ramp to northbound I-465 remains closed until the project is complete.