On June 23, 2008 at 12:01 Am., the 96 year old Stewart St. Bridge was officially closed to traffic for demolition to begin construction of a new bridge.  When the original Stewart St. Bridge opened in 1912, it was built with four lanes of traffic and had five foot wide sidewalks.

The newly constructed Stewart St. Bridge is designed to be wider than the original and will consist of a total of six lanes with ten foot sidewalks to accommodate the growth and development of the area.  Additionally, the new bridge will have very unique v-shaped piers.

On July 5, 2008 at 7:10 Am., the Stewart St. Bridge, piers packed full of dynamite was imploded and the remains plummeted into the Great Miami River. Since then, the Ahern and Associates construction team has been working on excavating concrete and soil debris from the river while making preparations for new construction.

In three months time, cofferdams have been set up in piers four and five (east side) to allow for dry ground to form and pour the footers.  178 out of the 416 reinforcing steel piles for the footers have been driven to the appropriate depth and filled with concrete in piers four, five, and at the forward abutment.  In piers four and five, the footers have been completed and the lower stem of pier five has been formed, poured, and painted.

Currently, crews are working on forming up the lower stem of pier four, the unique upper stem shape of pier five, and the footer for the forward abutment.  Once the construction has been completed on the substructure portion of the Stewart St. Bridge, the construction will begin on the superstructure portion which includes the beams, deck, sidewalks, and everything above the piers.   

 Article By: Katie Osterday