MARBLE FALLS — Officials gave crews the go-ahead to use explosives to destroy the remaining piers of the old U.S. 281 bridge April 4.
A revised plan by Archer Western Contractors and Omega Demolition calls for the tentative detonation “most likely” about 1 p.m. or 2 p.m., said Kelli Reyna of the Texas Department of Transportation.
The initial plans scheduled the blast for the last week of March, but after the March 17 explosion that took out the metal span of the bridge damaged telecommunications, officials decided to take a second look at the pier demolition.
Reyna said the exact time of the April 4 blast is rather fluid, but crews will do it during off-peak travel hours to minimize traffic congestion. Officials will stop southbound traffic at U.S. 281 and First Street in Marble Falls and will stop northbound traffic at U.S. 281 and CR 415 for a short period before, during and after the blast.
“Once the charges are set, the fish are cleared and the traffic is stopped, we will set off the blast,” Reyna said. “After a brief, but thorough, inspection of the new bridge, all traffic will be allowed to resume.”
Reyna said giving an exact time for the pier blast is more challenging because the charges must be placed inside the structures the morning of the destruction to avoid water affecting the explosives.
The explosives will be placed underwater. The blast should break the concrete piers into pieces that crews will pick up with specialized buckets attached to cranes.
Once the piers are demolished and the debris is removed from the lake, construction can begin on the second, southbound bridge. The project remains scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2014.
editor@thepicayune.com
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