Contractor Tackles Fast Repairs to Hurricane-Ravaged Bridge
A construction team plans to open two lanes of the Interstate 10 bridge over Escambia Bay, a crucial east-west route destroyed by Hurricane Ivan, just 24 days after receiving the Sept. 17 contract. The team led by Gilbert Southern Corp., Peachtree, Ga., a division of Peter Kiewit Sons Inc., will take from the more damaged eastbound span to reconstruct its western twin.
Much of the two-mile twin span bridge washed out due to water upsurge when Ivan came ashore. The center span rises about 55 ft high over the bay for navigational clearance but the approaches average about 10 to 12 ft, says Kevin Thibault, Florida Dept. of Transportation assistance secretary for engineering and operations. Built in 1968, the bridge normally carries about 21,000 vehicles daily .