Center Street viaduct project complete
Bridge open for drivers once again
T-R PHOTOS BY ROBERT MAHARRY The Center Street Viaduct was reopened to vehicle traffic both north and southbound on Friday after the well-traveled bridge was closed for approximately seven months to allow for repairs.
T-R PHOTOS BY ROBERT MAHARRY The Center Street Viaduct was reopened to vehicle traffic both north and southbound on Friday after the well-traveled bridge was closed for approximately seven months to allow for repairs.
Trending
After many long months -- since April to be exact -- the Center Street viaduct is finally open.
The City of Marshalltown announced the reopening with little fanfare, but with a simple posting on Facebook.
Public Works Director Heather Thomas said they did not want to delay the reopening, and wanted to give Marshalltown residents the option to utilize the viaduct once again.
"We did not want to hold it up for the benefit of a ribbon cutting," she said. "We have a project slideshow on Facebook, and we encourage everyone to celebrate virtually. We also ask people to support the businesses which have been impacted by the project, and we hope people can travel safely around town."
City Engineer Ben Daleske said the project finished a little ahead of time, as the original completion date was Nov. 18. While they are still finalizing change orders, the exact total project cost has not yet been determined, but he estimated it is slightly more than $4.1 million.
"It was a long project overall with many different moving parts," Daleske said. ". . . It was not as straightforward as building a new bridge."
On Friday, Mayor Mike Ladehoff received a message from Thomas that the viaduct was about to be reopened. He drove to the bridge and over it to check it out.
"A lot of people are going to be really happy," he said. "It is smoother. It needed the repairs, and it should last a while. This was necessary, and most people in Marshalltown understood that and stuck with it."
The project duration was a source of frustration and complaints for Marshalltown drivers, but Thomas said most residents were understanding about repairing a luxury like the Center Street viaduct. Many people used the Third Street and Third/Sixth Avenue viaducts to get to the northern or southern half of town. Some used the Eighteenth Avenue viaduct, and others used the few railroad street crossings. The challenge with the street crossings was they were closed whenever a train moved through town.
"When you take a luxury away, it can be challenging and frustrating," she said. "We are fortunate to have the other viaducts and acknowledge the difficulty in closing one."
One reason for the seven-month long duration is consideration of the fact that the city, in partnership with Boulder Contracting, was working over a Union Pacific railroad.
"There were substantial oversight requirements," Thomas said. "That increases the time and cost in a project like this."
A benefit with the completion, other than reopening a commonly-used bridge, is the weight limit has been removed.
"Now that the weight limit has been removed, it will allow our fire trucks and city transit buses to use the Center Street viaduct," Thomas said.
The city did not just celebrate the reopening of the viaduct, but also a downtown street on Friday. The Second Avenue and East Main Street intersection reopened for north and south travel. Thomas said east and west travel on Main Street is still closed.
"It is an exciting time," Thomas said. "We really appreciate and give a shoutout to the contractors. I know this is a tough time of year for them, but they have worked long and hard hours."
Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.