The bridge is located approximately halfway between MacArthur and 31st Street South. Prior to the August closure, the bridge carried about 14,000 vehicles per day over the Union Pacific railroad tracks.

The 70 year-old, 800-foot-long bridge was closed Aug. 16 after an inspection revealed concrete had separated from the steel support structure in the south end of the bridge. Emergency repairs began on Sept. 4 and included replacement of south deck spans, and repair of concrete and exposed steel on the underside of the deck. The budget for the repairs, including design and inspection, was $500,000.

The new weight limits will be 16 tons, 22 tons and 30 tons for two-, three-, and four-axle vehicles, respectively. The weight of a load is distributed differently depending on its length and the number of axles supporting it. The City will be working with the Wichita Police Department and the State Highway Patrol to enforce new limits.

Restricting traffic to one lane in each direction allows for greater posted weight limit than if the bridge were still carrying four lanes of traffic.

“The City of Wichita would like to thank Professional Engineering Consultants and Wildcat Construction for putting in many long hours on this project,” says Chris Carrier, Director of Public Works.  “Without their hard work under a lot of pressure, these repairs would have taken much longer.”

The repairs will allow the bridge to be in service for the next five years until it ultimately has to be closed again for complete replacement. The City is beginning the process to design a new bridge. That process will take several years and needs to be coordinated with Union Pacific Railroad. Replacement of the bridge will take an estimated 14 months.

Back to Top