Congresswoman Susan W. Brooks

Representing the 5th District of Indiana

Grant assures Eisenhower Bridge will be replaced

Eisenhower Bridge taken by Don Knight at the Anderson Herald Bulletin

Jul 27, 2016

In The News

By Ken de la Bastide | The Herald Bulletin

Read more here.

ANDERSON – After seven failed attempts, Madison County has secured $13.5 million in federal funds to replace the Eisenhower Bridge by 2019.

Sen. Joe Donnelly’s office announced Tuesday that Madison County has been awarded a TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant to provide 75 percent of the $18 million cost to replace the bridge.

“This is excellent news for Madison County and the City of Anderson, and the bridge replacement project will address one of their most pressing transportation infrastructure needs,” Donnelly, D-Ind., said. “The bridge replacement will help spur economic growth and help thousands of commuters who rely on the bridge for a safe commute to and from work every day.

“I have long supported the Eisenhower Bridge replacement project, because it will help revitalize the economy, and is a critical transportation link for Hoosiers traveling to jobs and job training, and accessing essential services,” he said.

Donnelly wrote a letter in support of the Anderson project to the secretary of the Department of Transportation in April.

Charles Leser, Madison County engineer, said the Indiana Department of Transportation has an April bid date for the contract.

“Next summer, work will begin on the relocation of utilities and removing the ramp under the bridge for the Madison County Sheriff’s Department,” he said. “In December 2017, the eastbound lanes will be closed for replacement.”

Leser said the project will take 2½ years to complete.

County Commissioner John Richwine said the county’s share of the project is $4.5 million. The county has set aside $900,000 from the state's return of the local option income tax reserve fund earlier this year that could be used for the project, he said.

U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks, R-District 5, said in a statement that the bridge was "in desperate need of repairs."

"I was proud to advocate for the advancement of this project to the Secretary of Transportation," Brooks said. "I'm very pleased that they have finally received the necessary and full funding to make these long-needed repairs and restore this key business and transportation link to full service."

Opened in 1969, the downtown bridge carries 15,000 vehicles per day, the most of any bridge in Madison County.

When the grant application process began, the original replacement cost estimate was $15 million, with the county providing 20 percent of the funding, or $2.6 million.

To date, Madison County has spent $200,000 on the design and right-of-way acquisition, with the Council of Governments providing $1 million in additional funds.

Plans for the new bridge call for the deck to be 83 feet wide, 10 feet wider than the current span over the White River. The plans call for a center divider to separate the eastbound and westbound lanes, pedestrian walkways on both sides to include space for bicycles, and guardrails protecting walkers and bicyclists.

The plan is to keep the bridge open during construction, with traffic shifting to either the eastbound or westbound lanes.

Issues:

Jobs, the Economy and Tax Reform