New Bridge... Almost Done!

There are two new bridges going up in these parts that will allow direct access to the fourlane going towards Ottumwa without having to go through Chilicothe!  We are quite excited about it, especially since we've been detoured going on over a year now since the old bridge was deemed structurally unsound and closed for good!  The old bridge is very old and very scary!  I always HATED going over that bridge because the thing rattled the whole way over and because since the bridge was located right along the railroad track, we would sometimes get stuck waiting on the thing while the train was passing and the bridge vibrated and SWAYED the whole time.  Our family had taken a trip to Ottumwa one evening, of course crossing the bridge,to watch the fireworks on the Fourth of July just to find out that bright and early the next morning the bridge had been closed due to finding a large crack along its foundation that deemed it structurally unsound, unrepairable and unsafe for travel.  AND WE WERE JUST ON IT 12 HOURS BEFORE!  Yikes!  In one way, I'm glad the thing was shut down because I hated using it so much, but then again it was a pain to not have a bridge.  Anyway....

 The first bridge, the one that spans the Des Moines River, has been done quite a while.  Now, we're just waiting on the second bridge that crosses the railroad track to be finished up.  Once that's done (and its very, very close!), we won't have to detour around... a detour that's a pain in the neck by turning a 20 minute trip to Northside Ottumwa into a 35 minute trip.  Not to mention that we'll have peace of mind again knowing that if we ever have an emergency, the emergency vehicles can now get to us quickly-ish (living in the country, no one gets to us quickly, emergency or not!) without having to take the same detour just mentioned!  (An extra fifteen minutes is a long time if there's a house burning or someone's profusely bleeding!) 

Many a Sunday afternoons, we take a Sunday drive down the road to the construction site to see how the work has come along the week before.  Usually, we just drive around and take a look-see and go home, pretty uneventful.  But a couple of Sundays ago, I grabbed the camera and when there we got out to investigate.  It was pretty fun to see the construction up close.  Take a look:

The bridge over the railroad.  Previously, there was only one bridge acorss the river and if there was a train, we just waited like at typical railroad crossings.  The new and improved plan is two bridges, one over the river and one over the railroad so there will be no more waiting.  Why, I don't know.  Seems to me like waiting for a train isn't all that much of an inconvenience when the economy is as it is, but just my opinion...

Josh taking a look.  The bridge had just been concreted in the few days prior.  After poured, the workers cover it with tarp to protect it until it cures.   By the way, concrete does not "dry", it cures... chemically hardens, not dries.

Checking out the crane.

The hill is pretty steep.  Daddy's helping hand was a must have!

A look at the span of the bridge.  Josh and Caleb are there on the right hand side of the picture, taking it all in.  Its IS pretty massive when you're right up to it!

Under the bridge, a look from the very edge where the bridge meets the ground to the first concrete support pillar.

A look straight up and into the corner where the last picture was taken from.

The support pillars on the northern end of the bridge.  Notice how the end pillars are angled for more support?

And then there was the dozer!

 

Josh's dream!

 

Almost family picture!

Time to load up and head back home.



 We didn't head directly home.  We took the scenic route first one way and then the next through the neighborhood, just to enjoy the Sunday drive.  On the way, we noticed two pesky cows that had found and took advantage of a downed spot in the fence. 

 

While Josh took off on foot to hopefully get the two cows in, the kids and I were put in charge of the Jeep to either A) divert them in the right direction if they chose to go the wrong direction or B) pick up Josh when he was done putting things back in order.  Thankfully, the cows went right where they were supposed to, the fence was easily fixed and I didn't have to do any cow chasing... because, honestly, I would have had no idea what to do or where to go!

And enjoy the picture of me.... its very rare and will be a looooooooooooooooong time before you see another one ;-)