The southbound lanes of I-471, closed since a fire severely damaged the Big Mac Bridge, will reopen Sunday evening, according to an announcement from Governor Mike DeWine and ODOT.
The re-opening date is weeks ahead of schedule; Ohio Department of Transportation officials previously estimated the highway’s southbound lanes would not be ready to open until March.
DeWine’s announcement said the re-opening date is exactly 100 days after the fire that warped the steel beams of the bridge, causing its closure.
At the end of January, crews began pouring concrete to form the deck on the southbound side of the bridge.
“Reopening southbound access to this bridge in just over three months is a tremendous accomplishment,” said DeWine in a press release. “The closure of these lanes wasn’t only an inconvenience but also a disruption to the supply chain. I applaud our ODOT team and their partners for working hard to finish the project ahead of schedule.”
There’s still some work to finish up before the bridge can fully re-open, according to ODOT.
Between Friday and Sunday, ODOT officials said crews will put the finishing touches on the bridge, which includes grinding and grooving the newly-cured concrete deck and some final welding below the expansion joint seal. Finally, crews will add pavement striping before re-opening the southbound lanes.
“Emergency projects require a lot of very quick action and around-the-clock work,” said ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn in a press release. “I am extremely proud of the efforts put in to getting this bridge and highway fully reopened.”
Officials have not said when exactly Sunday evening drivers will be able to take I-471 from Cincinnati into Northern Kentucky; according to the press release, ODOT will announce the exact time on social media one hour before barriers are removed.
The bridge was severely damaged after the 1000 Hands Playground, located beneath the bridge, caught fire and burned for hours in a blaze that was large and hot enough to warp some of the steel beams supporting the bridge.
ODOT officials have estimated the full cost of repairing the bridge will be around $10 million.