SPECIAL TO THE REPORTER ALDOT News

Cranes hoisted the final girder for the new Alabama Highway 75 bridge at Lakeview into place Monday morning.

The girders – huge steel beams – will support the future bridge deck spanning Town Creek in DeKalb County between Geraldine and the Lakeview community.

The $13.7 million bridge will be substantially longer, taller and wider than the old bridge built in 1942. Whereas the 82-year-old bridge is 280 feet long, 29 feet wide, and stands 54 feet above the creek, the new bridge will be 715 feet long, 38.5 feet wide and stand 75 feet above the creek

The design corrects steep vertical curves on both bridge approaches. The taller bridge and new alignment will significantly reduce vertical curves.

During the last two months, contractors installed a total of 32 girders, individually weighing up to 44 tons. Cranes raised each girder into position, and then workers secured it to adjoining girders. Each splice required about 660 bolts.

The tedious, weeks-long task of tightening roughly 23,000 bolts to a specified tension has begun.

Following that, contractors will construct the bridge deck and rails and segments of roadway approaching the bridge before demolishing the old bridge.

Because the replacement bridge is being constructed on a new alignment parallel to the old bridge, the old bridge remains open to traffic during construction. Most work items should have little impact on traffic.

ALDOT anticipates completion of the project in about a year.