Hall Contracting will reinforce the bridge with steel plating along both sides of the ties that run along the 488m-long structure. Almost 1,090t of steel will be used.
An incentive of US$100,000 will be offered for each day the contractor safely reopens the bridge earlier than the 135 work days in its bid. The incentive is capped at US$5 million or 50 days. Contractor payments will be reduced by a similar US$100,000 for each day the bridge remains closed beyond 135 work days.
The Sherman Minton Bridge is a double-deck arch bridge that connects the west side of Louisville in Kentucky to downtown New Albany in Indiana.
The bridge will remain closed during the repair, which is designed to extend the life of the bridge by 20 years.
It has been closed since last month, when inspectors found cracking in the bridge's structural steel. Initially, a crack was found in a critical load-carrying element of the bridge. Additional bridge testing revealed other weld defects at numerous locations.
