EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — TxDOT El Paso and other officials gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday morning, March 8, celebrating the new Fabens bridge.
TxDOT said the Fabens bridge was constructed in 1960 which is why necessary repairs and the replacement of the bridge were needed.
The bridge was demolished on Saturday, Jan. 20. The beams were replaced on Friday, Feb. 16 and the bridge deck was poured last Thursday, Feb. 29.
“The new structure has four columns instead of two per bent to assist with structural redundancy if the bridge is ever hit. The new facility’s vertical clearance increased from 17 feet to 19 to allow larger oversize loads to pass under without an issue. There are additional safety features. The new bridge will include shoulders on both sides and railing will be concrete instead of metal,” TxDOT said.
TxDOT also said the construction of the bridge was sped up to “minimize the impact of the detour to the community.”
While the bridge will open to traffic on Friday, March 8, construction is not complete.
“Crews will work on additional features like striping and concrete grooving next week before it’s opened at its final configuration by the end of this month. Drivers will also see some additional overnight and alternating closures on I-10 for the rest of the month,” TxDOT said.
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