Crews completed repairs weeks early on the southbound side of the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, which carries Interstate 471 over the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Newport, Ky., allowing the highway to reopen Feb. 9.

The 1,300-ft-long, eight-lane twin tied-arch bridge’s southbound approach was damaged by a fire underneath it in November. Seven girders and 7,600 sq ft of concrete deck required replacement.

Ohio Dept. of Transportation (ODOT) officials said in November that they expected to complete the repairs in early March, as long as the weather remained mostly favorable. It ended up taking exactly 100 days from the fire to the reopening. 

“Reopening southbound access to this bridge in just over three months is a tremendous accomplishment,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said in a statement. “The closure of these lanes wasn’t only an inconvenience, but also a disruption to the supply chain.”

Crews used 10 shoring towers to support the bridge during the demolition and repairs led by Hinckley, Ohio-based The Great Lakes Construction Co. and more than two dozen subcontractors, according to ODOT.

Seven custom steel girders, ranging from 60-ft, 11-in.-long to 98-ft, 9-in.-long and weighing between 22,483 and 27,296 lb., arrived in mid-January from Bowling Green, Ky.-based fabricator Stupp Bridge. 

The ends of the girders were left blank by the manufacturer so crews on site could drill them to match the existing structure and ensure a proper fit. Girder installation took three days. The contractors then turned their attention to placing concrete for the deck. To ensure a consistent and sufficiently warm temperature while working in January, crews used forced-air heaters and insulated blankets. 

Crews spent last weekend grinding and grooving the deck, welding below the expansion joint seal and painting pavement striping ahead of the Sunday evening reopening. 

ODOT officials previously said the repairs would cost more than $10 million. They did not immediately provide a final cost.

“Emergency projects require a lot of very quick action and around-the-clock work,” ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn said in a statement. 

Cincinnati police charged two people with aggravated arson in December related to the fire.