PRICEVILLE — The Alabama Department Department of Transportation is continuing to assess the integrity of an I-65 overpass that was damaged Monday.
The department’s Emergency Bridge Inspection Team will perform further assessments this week to determine the scope of the repair needed, according to a news release. ALDOT said it anticipates contracting for the repair.
ALDOT crews responded Monday afternoon following reports of a southbound vehicle striking the underside of the bridge on Upper River Road over I-65 in Priceville.
There, the bridge engineer’s initial inspection found damage to the concrete on all six bridge girders – the long, horizontal beams that support the bridge deck.
The steel rebar appeared intact in all but one girder, ALDOT said.
The most heavily damaged girder, the outside girder on the north side of the bridge, supports the westbound shoulder of the bridge and is not in the load path for the travel lanes.
As a result, ALDOT closed the westbound shoulder of Upper River Road.
Crews removed the loose concrete from the underside of the bridge and cut off protruding rebar, making I-65 southbound safe for travel and clearing the roadway before 8 p.m. Monday.
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