The rebuilding of the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge continues, nearly 2 months after the southbound approach was damaged in a fire.
The president of the Bowling Green, Kentucky, company making replacement beams says they have all the steel they need for new girders and connection pieces. Derek Clemons of Stupp Bridge says it’s not one of their larger projects.
“It’s probably one of the faster turn-arounds I’ve seen on an emergency project,” he says. “Especially when you’re building girders, as in this case. But again, it’s something we’re very familiar with and can execute very quickly.”
Clemons says the fire beneath the bridge had to have burned hot. “Steel is a very robust material, so to have created the situation, they would have reached at least 600° Fahrenheit and probably closer to 2200° Fahrenheit if I had to guess,” he says. “Any steel, any material is not going to withstand those types of temperatures.”…