US-23 freeway reopens to traffic after emergency repairs on railroad bridge

The busy US-23 freeway south of Ann Arbor, closed more than two weeks because of safety concerns about an overhead railroad bridge, reopened to traffic Tuesday morning (Sept. 28).

Craig Heidelberg, engineer of operations at MDOT’s Brighton Transportation Service Center who worked with the contractor doing the repairs and helped oversee the project, talks about mobilizing quickly so the freeway could be open again.

As explained by Matt Chynoweth, MDOT chief bridge engineer, on a Sept. 16 edition of the podcast, a truck hauling a piece of construction equipment hit the railroad bridge on Aug. 20, tearing the bottom flange of one of the two main girders.

Davis Construction won a 10-day emergency repair contract on Sept. 23. Davis crews completed heat straightening operations last Thursday and a prime coat on the beam cured over the weekend. Crews repaired the bottom flange Monday. 

Heidelberg talks about the work involved in repairing the bridge and working with multiple community leaders and safety forces, including the Ohio Department of Transportation, to communicate the need to avoid the route while repairs were being done. 

Podcast photo: Ann Arbor railroad bridge above US-23 near Milan.