MSC News

MSC News National Headlines Sports Top Headlines CBS US News CBS Technology

Printer Friendly

Email to a Friend

Progress on New Missouri River Bridge

By John Nixon

05/10/2012

1XXXXX

Looking East To Missouri

Looking West Toward Rulo

Looking Inside of Pier

Inside One of the Piers

Eventual Finished Bridge

Progress continues to be made on the new bridge over the Missouri River at Rulo. The bridge project with an estimated price tag of $32-million in 2008, was slowed tremendously by the 2011 flooding on the Missouri River. The new bridge was originally scheduled to be completed this fall.
    Nebraska Department of Roads Project Manager Mike Habegger provided an update on the timeline for completing the project. ( play audio :49 seconds )
    Habegger says as long as the river level at Rulo stays below 12 feet, workers will be able to continue moving forward.
    Habegger talked about the work that is going on right now, and what is coming up in the near future. ( play audio 1:03 )
    The piers for the bridge are impressive looking. Each pier has about 1,300 yards on concrete in them. A common question is how far below water do you have to go with those piers. ( play audio :26 seconds )
    The total length of the bridge structure will be about 2,400 feet. Habegger says it will be 426 feet from the pier on the west bank of the river to the pier in the middle of the Missouri River.
    When we asked Mike Habegger about a recent rumor that some of structure on the west side of the river was going to have to be demolished and redone, he said that is absolutely not true.