Milton-Madison Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Milton-Madison Bridge is a continuous truss bridge
that connects Milton, Kentucky
and Madison, Indiana
. It carries approximately 10,000 cars a day. A contract has been signed to replace the bridge by 2012.
. It has a main span of 600 feet (182.9 m) and total length of 3184.2 feet (970.5 m). It has a deck width of a mere 20 feet (6.1 m), and above the deck the vertical clearance is 16.8 feet (5.1 m). This bridge is the only vehicular crossing of the Ohio River
for 26 miles (41.8 km) going upstream (the Markland Bridge near Vevay, Indiana
) and 46 miles (74 km) downstream (the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge
in Louisville
).
The bridge provided for the shortest distance between Indianapolis, Indiana
and Lexington, Kentucky
.
, on November 1, 1947 at noon the toll was removed.
In 1997 the bridge was refurbished. This was after a 1995 study which could not agree on a new bridge location, so $10 million was used for the refurbishment.
A Milton-Madison Bridge Study was begun by the Indiana Department of Transportation
and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
on August 26, 2008. The study must take in account the Madison Historic District, which is a National Historic Landmark
, and the study is burdened by having to consider the National Environmental Policy Act
.
The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) in a partnership with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has designed a new bridge to replace the current bridge. The new project is headed mostly by INDOT. The bridge will be removed except for several piers in the waterway, which will be rehabilitated and widened to accommodate a new, wider steel-truss superstructure. Scour mitigation will also be performed on the existing piers. The new bridge will also feature an ADA compliant pedestrian walkway. Construction for the new bridge will begin in the fall of 2010, with the bridge remaining open during work on the piers. The design-build bridge project will be completed years ahead of schedule and with significantly less disruption than originally estimated. Walsh Construction Company plans to close the bridge for only 10 days during construction rather than an anticipated year-long closure. The team will use an innovative construction method called “truss sliding” to ”slide” the 3,181-foot-long truss into place along steel rails and plates.
Gallery
A Structured Public Involvement protocol developed by Drs. T. Grossardt and K. Bailey is being used in the bridge type selection process. This process has been used on a number of large scale publc infrastructure projects previously, such as the Louisville Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges project.
http://www.research.uky.edu/odyssey/summer08/bridge.pdf
Continuous truss bridge
A continuous truss bridge is a truss bridge which extends without hinges or joints across three or more supports. A continuous truss bridge may use less material than a series of simple trusses because a continuous truss distributes live loads across all the spans; in a series of simple trusses,...
that connects Milton, Kentucky
Milton, Kentucky
Milton is a city in Trimble County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 593 at the 2010 census. The Milton-Madison Bridge connects it to Madison, Indiana and is the only automobile link between the two states for 40 miles in either direction.Milton was founded in 1789,...
and Madison, Indiana
Madison, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,004 people, 5,092 households, and 3,085 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,402.9 people per square mile . There were 5,597 housing units at an average density of 654.1 per square mile...
. It carries approximately 10,000 cars a day. A contract has been signed to replace the bridge by 2012.
Description
This two lane vehicular bridge is the Ohio River crossing for U.S. Route 421U.S. Route 421
U.S. Route 421 is a spur route of U.S. 21. It runs for from Michigan City, Indiana, at U.S. 20, to Fort Fisher in North Carolina. The highway goes through the cities of Indianapolis, Indiana, Lexington, Kentucky, Boone, North Carolina, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina and...
. It has a main span of 600 feet (182.9 m) and total length of 3184.2 feet (970.5 m). It has a deck width of a mere 20 feet (6.1 m), and above the deck the vertical clearance is 16.8 feet (5.1 m). This bridge is the only vehicular crossing of the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
for 26 miles (41.8 km) going upstream (the Markland Bridge near Vevay, Indiana
Vevay, Indiana
Vevay is a town in and the county seat of Jefferson Township, Switzerland County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,683 at the 2010 census.-History:...
) and 46 miles (74 km) downstream (the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge
John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge
The John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge is a seven-lane, single-deck cantilever bridge that carries Interstate 65 across the Ohio River, connecting Louisville, Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana. The main span is and the bridge has a total length of...
in Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
).
The bridge provided for the shortest distance between Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
and Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
.
History
Built by J.G. White Engineering Corp., construction was started in 1928, and completed in 1929, at the cost of $1,365,101.84. It was opened for traffic on December 20, 1929. Originally a toll bridgeToll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
, on November 1, 1947 at noon the toll was removed.
In 1997 the bridge was refurbished. This was after a 1995 study which could not agree on a new bridge location, so $10 million was used for the refurbishment.
Today
The bridge is in the process of replacement, as the current bridge is "functionally obsolete" and "structurally deficient." It has a sufficiency rating of 33 out of a possible 100; its superstructure condition rating is considered "poor". Modern trucks are unable to use the bridge. One of the boons to the new bridge would be to aid a $20 million "resort and entertainment center" where previously a cotton mill stood.A Milton-Madison Bridge Study was begun by the Indiana Department of Transportation
Indiana Department of Transportation
The Indiana Department of Transportation is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Indiana charged with maintaining and regulating transportation and transportation related infrastructure such as state owned airports, state highways and state owned canals or railroads.-Districts:INDOT is...
and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is Kentucky's state-funded agency charged with building and maintaining U.S...
on August 26, 2008. The study must take in account the Madison Historic District, which is a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
, and the study is burdened by having to consider the National Environmental Policy Act
National Environmental Policy Act
The National Environmental Policy Act is a United States environmental law that established a U.S. national policy promoting the enhancement of the environment and also established the President's Council on Environmental Quality ....
.
The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) in a partnership with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has designed a new bridge to replace the current bridge. The new project is headed mostly by INDOT. The bridge will be removed except for several piers in the waterway, which will be rehabilitated and widened to accommodate a new, wider steel-truss superstructure. Scour mitigation will also be performed on the existing piers. The new bridge will also feature an ADA compliant pedestrian walkway. Construction for the new bridge will begin in the fall of 2010, with the bridge remaining open during work on the piers. The design-build bridge project will be completed years ahead of schedule and with significantly less disruption than originally estimated. Walsh Construction Company plans to close the bridge for only 10 days during construction rather than an anticipated year-long closure. The team will use an innovative construction method called “truss sliding” to ”slide” the 3,181-foot-long truss into place along steel rails and plates.
Gallery
See also
A Structured Public Involvement protocol developed by Drs. T. Grossardt and K. Bailey is being used in the bridge type selection process. This process has been used on a number of large scale publc infrastructure projects previously, such as the Louisville Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges project.
http://www.research.uky.edu/odyssey/summer08/bridge.pdf