Central Street Bridge Reconstruction Update

Members and neighbors who have been expecting the construction of the Central Street Bridge by the City to have begun will be disappointed to know (or maybe happy to know) that the bridge demolition work that was scheduled to begin this fall will not begin in earnest until Spring 2021.

The contract between IDOT and the Contractor has not been signed.  Rather, it is in the final stages of negotiations, whereby the Contractor must produce documentation including proof of insurance and identification/approval for the chosen disadvantaged businesses (DBEs) that the Contractor will use for parts of the work.  This process has taken longer than expected.

Traffic staging and demolition of half of the bridge will begin in Spring 2021.

Other supporting work that will not impact traffic this Fall may take place, however, but is dependent upon the yet-unknown detailed Contract schedule.  This supporting work might include the Contractor’s temporary yards for storage of equipment and materials (work off of the right-of-way), tree removal , and possibly the installation of the temporary traffic signal at the Bryant/Central intersection.  The temporary signals will not be operational until the Spring, when traffic begins to be re-routed to one side of the bridge to facilitate the demolition.

Behind the scenes, the Contractor will also use the Fall and Winter to order the steel girders for the proposed bridge (about a 10-week lead time) and to solidify and line-up the subcontractors.

As a result of this delayed start, traffic will remain as-is on Central Street this Winter.  Emergency vehicle access will not be affected, service to the hospital will be maintained, pedestrians will continue to be able to cross Central, and Canal Shores Golf Course will be open for business as usual.

The delayed start is not expected to impact the ultimate completion of the project in late Summer 2022. 

Note that some of the above information is subject to the Contractor’s detailed schedule.  As we know more, CSNA will keep you informed.