PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. – The race is on.
Nearing the 10-month mark since Hurricane Katrina pounded the Gulf Coast, work has begun in earnest to replace the Highway 90 bridge across St. Louis Bay – a vital economic lifeline that carried an average of 17,000 vehicles a day between Hancock and Harrison counties before the storm wrecked the old span.
Even before it reopens, the bridge is helping hard-hit economies on both sides of the bay, providing skilled and unskilled local workers with high-paying jobs ranging from $12 an hour for a laborer to $27 an hour for a crane operator.
Most work now is taking place on the east side of the bay, where workers are driving massive concrete piers that weigh 60 tons or more apiece into the floor of the bay. But crews will soon start building from both sides, racing to meet somewhere in the middle, says project manager Allan Nelson.
At the same time, a subcontractor is removing the old bridge, much of which still pokes out of the water like hillbilly dental work. The biggest pieces are being hauled between 3 and 9 miles offshore and dumped to create artificial fish reefs, Nelson says.
The prime contractor -- a limited partnership formed specifically for this project by Granite Construction of Watsonville, Calif., and Archer Western of Atlanta -- has some powerful incentives to get the job done on time.
Penalties or a bonus?
Under the terms of the $266.8 million contract to build a new 1.9 mile bridge 150 feet inland from the old one, two lanes must be open to traffic by May of next year and work on the span completed by November 2007. If the targets aren’t met, the company faces $500,000 a day in penalties; if it hits them, its stands to collect a $5 million bonus.
That’s a “very tight” schedule that puts the project in the high-risk category, says Nelson. Work is currently a bit behind schedule due to “soil difficulties, but the company still has a good shot at meeting the deadlines, he says.
Still, with a project of this complexity, any number of problems can pop up and cause potentially costly delays.
With much of the work taking place in hurricane season, weather is a major concern.
If a hurricane appears to be bearing down on the area, Nelson says, “We’d have to move our … barges and cranes up into one of these rivers,” which could eat up a week or more depending on the severity of the storm.
He says a severe hurricane also could potentially damage sections of the new bridge where girders had been placed atop cement pilings. But those that consist only of piers or that have a deck on top should be able to weather whatever Mother Nature can dish out, Nelson says.
To improve the ability to deal with such vagaries, as well as more run-of-the-mill construction issues, Granite Archer Western and its architectural subcontractor – HTNB Corp. of Kansas City, Mo. -- are performing what’s known as a “design build” of the span, meaning work began before the plans were completed.
'Flexibility' built into the project
“That gives us some flexibility in the design process and in the construction,” says Winchester Falbe, the project’s quality control manager. He estimates the design is now 85 to 90 percent complete for the “state-of-the-art bridge,” which will include a 12-foot pedestrian-bicycle lane, public art and an 85-foot-high hump in the center that will eliminate the traffic-knotting drawbridge that was a frustrating feature of the old span.
The builders also are incorporating an important lesson learned from Katrina.
“The old bridge was completely submerged,” Nelson says. “They figure air got trapped and helped float (the deck) off … in some cases washing pieces (of the roadway) 200 feet or more from the pilings.”
So this time, the bridge’s deck will be at least 20 feet higher at all points than the old one, and even a storm surge of Katrina-like proportions will pass safely underneath, he says, adding this confident-sounding coda:
“This bridge will withstand another Katrina.”
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As someone who lives in Harrison county and was one of the 17000 drivers referred to in the article who used the bridge almost daily to commute to my job at Hancock Medical Center in Bay St Louis, I think this article is great news, as my commute to and from work is now 40-45 mins instead of the pre-Katrina 15 mins. I'm also glad to see the new bridge will not have that damn drawbridge! The completion of this bridge will be a very big step in this community returning to some semblance of normalcy. I'd hate to be a bicyclist having to pedal the "up" side of that 85 foot hump on a windy day!! The road I live on in Long Beach, which already was a fairly busy road before the storm, is now clogged with car and 18-wheeler traffic every day because people have to detour to I-10 to go west because the Bay St Louis bridge is out. There was some discussion earlier this year of temporarily fixing one span of the old bridge to open one lane east, one lane west, with a tentative completion date of August of this year. Is this still being considered, or are all parts of both spans of the old bridge being used for the artificial reefs?
Mike Scheid, Long Beach Miss. (Sent Jun 26, 2006 11:07:49 AM)
This is great news! The Bay bridge is a vital link to the east and one that is sorely missed if you have to travel I-10 on a regular basis.
God speed and great success!
Linda, Plano, TX (Sent Jun 26, 2006 11:42:46 AM)
The phrase "hillbilly dental work" is about as offensive a phrase as I've seen in print on a major news website.
Randal Hall, Houston, Tex. (Sent Jun 26, 2006 1:08:10 PM)
Glad to hear about the Bay St. Louis bridge! Those people need all the help they can get! How about the Biloxi-Ocean Springs bridge?
Susan Fountain (Sent Jun 26, 2006 5:03:19 PM)
I think that Randal needs to relax. I don't know why everyone has to be so sensitive all the time.
Big Kel, Midland Park, NJ (Sent Jun 26, 2006 5:03:38 PM)
I'm glad to see that the deck height is considerably higher than the old bridge had. Every bridge built anywhere near a hurricane or tsunami flood zone should be of a height capable to withstand those massive waves.
Burton Rhone, Cocoa, Florida (Sent Jun 26, 2006 7:02:59 PM)
I agree with Randall.
Pat, Pompton Lakes, N.J. (Sent Jun 26, 2006 7:10:58 PM)
Yeah--why can't we all get along and build pretty bridges in hurricane ravaged areas so they can get destroyed again during the next big storm---there will be another one---and we will all be saying---Katrina was a lady----________(you fill in the blank with a female name)was a B_TCH! Best wishes.
Mark Randall, Atlanta, GA(formerly Biloxi, MS) (Sent Jun 26, 2006 7:57:39 PM)
i'm also wondering about the biloxi-ocean springs bridge, as i lived down there for about 6 months last year and crossing the b-os bridge was part of my daily commute, i bet it has even more traffic that the bay st louis. not to mention I-110 bridge that connects 90 to I-10. i thought the view coming from the ocean springs side on 90 was always very exciting because with approaching all the casinos right there on the water it felt like you were about to enter into a little mini-las vegas on the water. i had good times down in biloxi.
chris, fairfax virginia (Sent Jun 26, 2006 9:53:17 PM)
Great to read a genuinely good report about real reconstruction progress. Here's a tip of the hat to all the folks who have toughed it out -- I sincerely hope all in the affected areas have a calm, peaceful summer, one in which you can continue to get back on your feet. I also wish for you some well-earned R&R, wherever and however you may find it.
Jim W -- Now Hawaii, Formerly Amarillo and NJ (Sent Jun 27, 2006 12:46:24 AM)
All I've got to say is at least they didn't say Redneck dental work. I'm happy. And won't it be grand to have the new bridge better than before?
Jane, Southern Mississippi (Sent Jun 27, 2006 3:10:05 AM)
If a small portion of the 445 Billion dollar Military budget was put toward the bridge, it would already be finished.
B. Smug , Celina,Ohio (Sent Jun 27, 2006 6:48:10 AM)
The Bay Saint Louis bridge needs to be built right
and built soon. A trip to Pass Christian now takes
30-45 minutes when it used to take five.
And to "Big Kel" - that phrase isn't so much
offensive as it is strange to see on a news site.
I doubt you'd see it in an Associated Press release.
J., bsl (Sent Jun 27, 2006 7:37:07 AM)
I thought the phrase "hillbilly dentalwork" was quite apt. It gives a true mental picture of how the prior bridge now looks; I know, I've seen it for myself.
Godspeed to the construction crews!
Stacey, Indianapolis, IN (Sent Jun 27, 2006 9:01:31 AM)
Hey Randal,
Why are you getting your panties in such a bunch? Oh, are you going to get upset about that too? Lighten up.
Shawn, Baltimore, Maryland (Sent Jun 27, 2006 11:07:45 AM)
AS A REGULAR VISITOR TO BILOXI AND SURROUNDING AREAS, ANY AND ALL PROGRESS IS GREAT NEWS TO ME. I AM PROUD FOR THE LOCAL FOLKS THAT CALL THIS AREA HOME AS I KNOW WHAT A INCONVENIENCE THIS HAS BEEN. MY PRAYERS CONTINUE TO BE WITH THEM AS THEY PROGRESS IN THE REBUILDING OF THIS ONCE BEAUTIFUL PLACE. A PLACE I WOULD BE PROUD TO CALL HOME.
EJM, NORTH AL (Sent Jun 27, 2006 11:42:33 AM)
As I hillbilly with bad teeth, I took the comment as being all in good fun, as well as accuarate.
Cletus Spuckler, Springfield (Sent Jun 27, 2006 12:15:38 PM)
I think Randall is a dentist! It's great to see all of the improvements taking shape.
Joe Rogers, Austin, TX (Sent Jun 27, 2006 12:36:15 PM)
Randal needs to chill out. He is way too uptight! He must be on a diet with far too much PC in it.
Vancouver, Wa (Sent Jun 27, 2006 1:04:13 PM)
I'm just glad they didn't refer to the new span under construction as a "dull-looking hip-hop dental grill." I think I might have fainted!
Joseph Winders, Modesto, Calif. (Sent Jun 27, 2006 1:44:03 PM)
Hey, my teeths don't look like that and I ain't got not gol-durn panties!
Keltus Kerlackey (Sent Jun 27, 2006 2:03:08 PM)
I'm glad this bridge appears to be a permanent fix, BUT, as far as spending huge bucks to rebuild most of everything else in low lying flood prone areas; you gotta be kidding... of course if you want to use your own/local money, that's your decision. Didnt the Bible say something about builing on sand??
Brian B Roanoke, VA (Sent Jun 27, 2006 2:35:38 PM)
Mark Randall, You must be really old. Half the names have been male since 1979. Remember "Andrew?" What a 'bad boy.'
Hardie Johnson, Harrisburg PA (Sent Jun 27, 2006 5:00:16 PM)
I think the redneck teeth comment was cute and funny; but nontheless, it's entirely inappropriate for a professional news article on a major news website. I think we've become WAY too "PC" in society, but there is still such a thing as tact and professionalism when writing articles. Besides, thems be some Yankee teeth!!!!!!! :P
Ron M, Dallas, TX (Sent Jun 27, 2006 5:16:23 PM)
I'm offended by people who are offended by EVERYTHING. Great news, and excellent reporting Mike!
Kacey Champaign, IL (Sent Jun 27, 2006 9:04:24 PM)
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