Lane shift expected Wednesday onto new bridge; viaduct to be dismantled

With less than a year left of construction on the Cottonwood Creek bridge on Guthrie’s west side, motorists will begin driving on the south side of the new bridge next week.

Lisa Shearer-Salim, the Public Information Manager for the Department of Transportation, tells Guthrie News Page traffic will be switched to the south of the new Cottonwood Creek bridge and will continue to be one lane in each direction as work continues to replace the viaduct bridge.

“They (Manhattan Road & Bridge Co. of Tulsa) expect to stripe the new lanes early Wednesday morning and switch traffic after noon,” Salim said.

The switch was projected for Monday, but due to three days of cooler temperatures the asphalt was unable to be laid.

Salim reminds drivers the speed limit will remain reduced and to plan for extra time as traffic adjusts to the lane shift.

In addition, wide loads are restricted from using Highway 33 between I-35 and Highway 74 due to the ongoing reconstruction.

The beginning of the dismantling of the viaduct is uncertain (this week or early January).

Crews will take their time tearing the old bridge down. Salim says they will slowly pull the bridge apart in attempt to reuse some of the beams, which will go to the county for re-use in upcoming bridge projects.

“Not all of the beams may be reusable, but they plan to salvage all that they can in partnership with Logan County.”

The public is welcomed to take photos and video of the viaduct coming down, but need to do so in the Cottonwood Flats area (north side of the viaduct).

The highway will be widened to four lanes between 12th St. and Division St. and lengthened to just more than 1,600 feet to help alleviate flooding issues prone to the area.

The $17M project started on Jan. 30, 2017, and is expected for completion in fall 2018.

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3 Comments on "Lane shift expected Wednesday onto new bridge; viaduct to be dismantled"

  1. WOW ❤

  2. sweet great bridge dwarfs the old one..?

  3. Glad to see them using old beams from viaduct. Hope it saves money down the line

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