Photo by ROGER LALONDE
Roger Lalonde staff This section of expansions to the new S.S. Jolley Bridge now under construction are uneven, but the State Department of Transportation says that is the way the spans should be. It says that the unevenness is caused because it is not a flat bridge.
Photo by ROGER LALONDE
Roger LaLonde Staff This section of beams coming together appears to be even on the new S.S. Jolley Bridge under construction. The evenness of this section has brought question to another section of the bridge that is not even.
For those who have noticed that the new S.S. Jolley Bridge expansions as you come onto Marco Island are not even, no problem.
While two other expanses that will come together are even, the other two are not because of the slope between the two.
Debbie Tower, spokeswoman for the State Department of Transportation said, “Everything is fine. There is an unevenness, but this is not a flat bridge. The beams that appear less even are because there is a bigger slope.”
She said the bridge is being built according to plan. “There are daily, weekly and monthly inspections,” she said. “While there is an awful lot we can’t discuss about its construction due to statutes written since 9-11, everything is being built to plan.”
The expansion of the bridge from a one-span, two-lane bridge to a two-span, four-lane bridge was made possible through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Florida Highway Administration approved the project and Florida Department of Transportation awarded a contract for $25.5 million to Johnson Bros. and FIGG, the design build team.
Completion of the bridge is expected in the fall of 2011.
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Comments » 19
Ocram (Inactive) writes:
It appears to be 2 level so that drivers coming on to the Island can see the whole Island with little to no interence from the other side. That would not be important when leaving.
Ocram (Inactive) writes:
Correction: "Interference" No spell check on this site. It would help.
If I remember correctly, they also, when designing the new bridge, made sure that the rails along the sides would be mostly open so that the view would not be blocked.
Ocram (Inactive) writes:
Question is......who hired the contractors for this project? Who is responsible for the design and the reasons for such?
ratsnake writes:
Only on Marco Island could this be news.
waverunner writes:
Waaah! Yoda is crying again, someone change his diapee!
marco97 writes:
$25.5 million for that bridge is a bargain, that's about what Rony Joel wanted to build the Smokehouse bay bridge.
1Paradiselost writes:
FROM THE OCTOBER,16 2009 MARCO EAGLE
Smokehouse Bay Bridge
Council will decide whether to approve a contract to have engineering designs completed for replacement of the dual-span Smokehouse Bay Bridge at a cost of about $250,000.
About 600 residents voted for their favorite of the five preliminary designs created by five different firms at a cost of $25,000 each. The two designs city staff have recommended are not the favorite of the residents, according to the city’s survey. However, in his memo to Council, Public Works Director Rony Joel put forward the two least expensive designs.
“Staff has concluded that the two bridge structures are rapidly approaching the end of their useful life and they will be required to be replaced in the 2013 to 2014 time frame to ensure the safety and continued well-being of the boating and traveling public,” Joel advised Council in an Oct. 6 memo.
Having the engineer designs complete aids in receiving state and federal grants.
The favorite among residents was the design by Volkert and the total cost is about $9 million.
TBE and T.Y. Lin are the two firms suggested by Joel and staff. TBE’s bridge costs about $8.4 million and T.Y. Lin’s costs $7.5 million. TBE’s design was residents’ second choice and T.Y Lin’s was residents’ third favorite. T.Y. Lin’s design includes steel arches and has higher clearance under the bridge than TBE’s design.
In the Marco Eagle poll, which was not a scientific poll and had fewer participants than the city survey, most thought a new bridge was not needed
$9,000,000 For a 80 foot Bridge. Comments?
Ocram (Inactive) writes:
$9 million for an 80 foot bridge as compared to $25.5 million for the Jolly Bridge. How can they get away with it? It is because the "easily convinced" on Marco have let them get away with it in the past. Hopefully, not in the future!
Ocram (Inactive) writes:
Does the State Highway Dept. give out referral fees?
ajm3s writes:
I love it when they use the term "staff has concluded..." in quoted comments. I understand the term "staff" to be the purveyor of decisions by a director/manager. Really "staff" implies a decision brought about by many? I guess "staff" is the new Marco Island slang.
Remember the "staff" who came up with the idea for water truck and additional firefighters as a solution for fire hydrants: JOEL AND MURPHY.
Keep your eyes open there are still power "staff" in City Hall and they still have a limited view and essentially only cater to their own constituency: themselves. Which I guess is the definition of power.
On that note, I will only conclude by saying that "staff" must go, and we have not finished the job.
marco97 writes:
The term should be "staff feels it would be in their best interest"
Just remember we became a City with less then 200 votes after how many tries.
deltarome writes:
Contrary to the words of the DOT spokesperson, the mismatch of the two spans is NOT normal. I am a professional engineer and the spans are cast to suit the design and arch fitup and their joints should match up or the bridge deck will have to be made thicker and more likely to crack from its own weight.
Ocram (Inactive) writes:
Could something like this lead to a serious failure in the future? How could it be addressed now? You hear of bridges coming down after 30 or 40 years due to some seemingly small problem when the bridge was built. Now is the time to take care of it before it makes for serious problems later on.
maharg writes:
Debbie Tower's explanation is unsatisfying. There appears to be no reason why these two sections should not be in line. Bridges normally do not have discontinuities of slope. The two ends out of alignment are on different supports, the others are not. It will be interesting to see if the same apparent misalignment is present when the southern span sections are put in place.
ajm3s writes:
Correction noted.
MrBreeze writes:
Wait until you see the small box at the end of the span.
It is called a TOLL BOOTH. Write it down it will happen and you heard it here first.
giggel211 writes:
Nice try to explain why there are two levels, but i have a hard time to believe it. Maybe the reason for my disbelief is my profession as a construction engineer and i build one or two bridges, when i was working. We will see how this works out.
ajm3s writes:
DOT approved speed bump?
fortl writes:
how did we end up with the new bridge clearly higher than the existing one?
The view is totally blocked
No reason I can see, make the supports lower
Now we are committed to this mess.
Debbie go home
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