Micropiles make the news again, this time in a recent solution for an important bridge on a main artery east of the Mississippi: Interstate 65. At Thorcon Shotcrete and Shoring, we love a good story of infrastructure repair, safety-focused engineering and micropiles coming to the rescue, so we are excited to bring you this latest news. Our last micropile story came from the Rocky Mountains. This one comes to us from a few states away, in Indiana.
Interstate 65 stretches from Mobile, AL in the south up to Gary, IN (near Chicago) in the north, and while the artery is meant to be traveled without detour, a section between Indianapolis and Chicago has been disrupted most of the month due to the emergency closure of a northbound bridge over Wildcate Creet in Tippecanoe County, IN. The bridge has been closed since August 7th when engineers “noticed a riverbank pier settling and tilting,” though the southbound bridge over the same creek (which is in more stable soil and has not experienced settling issues) has not been closed. In the last couple of days, it’s been announced by the Lafayette Journal & Courier as well as Indianapolis’ WISH-TV that the solution for the stabilization of the bridge will be a series of micropiles, which they hope will be tested and implemented by the middle of September. In the meantime, the northbound bridge closure means a series of detours for traffic leaving Indianapolis heading north.
Back in Colorado, at our Littleton headquarters (in the Denver area), we at Thorcon approve of the safety-conscious steps taken by Indiana’s Department of Transportation. Infrastructure repair can cause delays and detours, which are an inconvenience, but with all infrastructure risks it is far better to fix a problem quickly, before it costs motorists their lives. The Indiana bridge will be much safer for travelers and commuters once geotechnical engineers have installed the new micropiles. Here in Colorado, we provide soil nailing, micropiles and other soil stabilization services to the whole of Colorado and states in the surrounding region for the purposes of infrastructure repair, new building, and renovation. Our team puts custom solutions and safe work practices at the top of our priority list, which makes for safe citizens and happy clients. Contact us today to get started!