I-90 bridge project remains on track

The rumor that parts of the Interstate 90 Pinehurst Bridge Project were finished with substandard concrete is true, but misleading, according to District 1 Operations Engineer John Perfect.

Perfect said for concrete to be considered adequate it must be between 90 and 100 percent strength. He said the concrete used on parts of the bridge was given a less than 90 percent grade, but the structural soundness of the bridge is not reliant on those particular areas.

"It was part of the bridge that was not structural," Perfect said. "So it really didn't have a lot of consequence."

Perfect said there are a few more concrete areas which are still in a state of variability and at the moment, workers can't know how they will turn out.

Perfect said he does not foresee the currently laid concrete pushing back the deadline for the completion of the bridge.

The bridge currently supporting westbound lanes is scheduled for reconstruction next year, Perfect said. Both bridges were built around the same time and therefore require an equal amount of attention.

Perfect said next year's project will follow a similar pattern to this year's. He said all lanes will be funneled onto the newly finished bridge while the old bridge is torn down and rebuilt to improve its structural integrity.