The Harris Overpass project is set to begin on Nov. 12. However, with the project will come many complications for the city.
KENDRA WALTKE / The Associated Press | Posted: Saturday, October 27, 2007 7:00 pm
It’s time for Lincoln’s old bridge to come tumbling down.
The Harris Overpass, which carries O Street traffic from downtown to West O Street, will close Nov. 12.
Soon afterward, it will be demolished, and over the course of the next year, a safer and more attractive bridge will rise in its place.
The closure could cause a year of antsy driving for the 26,000 vehicles that cross the bridge per day.
It’s already worrisome for the businesses below the bridge, and for the industries and businesses along West O Street, a major Lincoln conduit.
But the need is clear.
The 1954 bridge is one of the city’s most structurally deficient bridges, with a rating so low it warrants federal bridge replacement funds.
While the danger of collapse is remote — it would likely require a train to derail and take out a whole pier — the viaduct is ripe for replacement because of its deteriorated state.
Under the bridge, business owners plan to stick it out
The Harris Overpass will close Nov. 12, cutting the O Street conduit that on an average day carries more than 26,000 cars over the rails dividing downtown Lincoln from West O.
One year from now, a new bridge will open in its place, restoring customers to the many businesses now sweating the interval.
Businesses below and across the bridge have had three years to plan, but closing day is still dreaded.
“It is a significant detour. We’re all concerned. We don’t know what the total impact will be,” said Randy Haas, head of the West O Business Association and owner of T.O. Haas.
Restaurants, bars, stores, offices and industries depend on West O.
The West O Business Association will soon launch a Web site with printable coupons for shops and restaurants. It also will host promotional events in the year ahead. The association put aside $10,000 for marketing this year.
Haas hopes the bridge contractor will take advantage of the city-provided incentives — as much as $11,000 a day — for finishing early.
That’s also the hope of some Haymarket businesses, especially those whose front doors open directly beneath the bridge.
None of them will be displaced by the construction, but access and parking will be affected until June 2008, when work in the Haymarket area should be finished.
Until then, patrons will have to reach the shops and offices under the bridge through enclosed, tunnel-like walkways.
Those that draw walk-in customers include Fringe & Tassel, a costume rental shop; Bluestem Books, a used bookstore; and Box Awesome, a bar and music venue.
Plus, the area is home to several architecture, design and advertising firms, as well as longtime companies such as Schwarz Paper Co.
Phyllis Spahn, owner of Fringe & Tassel, is thankful Eighth Street and a parking area beneath the viaduct will not close until after Halloween.
But she is open year-round.
“I have clients who depend on me, I hope,” she said, such as teachers who rent costumes for skits and plays, as well as groups that rent Santa suits and holiday costumes.
She’s encouraging clients to call ahead once the bridge closes so they can get tips on where to park.
Scott Wendt of Bluestem Books also plans to stick it out, though he said he’ll do more “house calls” to buy books from sellers.
“We’ve got a loyal clientele, and, hopefully, they’re intrepid enough to keep coming down,” he said.
His shop doesn’t rely on walk-in business so much as regular customers, and, luckily, he is not reliant on holiday sales, he said.
He is worried, but said he’s looking forward to the end product.
“It’s going to be an attractive area, and that will benefit the whole Haymarket,” he said.
The parking layout will change so cars can park right in front of the stores. The open area under the bridge will be large enough to host festivals and will have ornamental lighting.
The girders over the parking lot will be encased in steel, pushing the many pigeons that roost in the old bridge further west.
But the disruption will be rough, Wendt said.
“We’ve been here 23 years,” he said. “I don’t see any major problems ahead, but it is going to be a difficult six months.”
Demolition
Demolition may take two months, said Bruce Sweney, construction engineer for the Lincoln Public Works Department.
The bridge will be stripped of salvageable materials and cut apart. Its 28 piers will be uprooted and replaced with 14 new ones, leaving room beneath for future development.
“A lot of advances in bridge technology have been made in the 50 years since this was built,” said Linda Beacham of Schemmer Associates, which helped coordinate the bridge project.
Work will begin on the east side, and rebuilding will follow the demolition.
That way, work crews can clear out of the Haymarket by mid-June, in time for summer events like the Farmers Market, said Harris Overpass project manager Kris Humphrey.
“That’s assuming we don’t have any setbacks. We’re going to be working in an area that’s been there a long time,” Sweney said.
They’re working with a narrow playing field — only 30 feet from the bridge to several historic buildings — plus digging into some of Lincoln’s oldest turf.
Environmental impact studies have helped guide plans, so historic buildings will not be endangered.
New design
The bridge project has been in the planning stage for three years.
The design incorporated recent master plans for downtown and the West Haymarket area, where a new arena and convention center are envisioned.
The new look, in beige-tinted concrete, was inspired by the city’s historic buildings.
The layout, however, is almost identical to the old. Features such as on-ramps, a new alignment and new entry points were considered but unfeasible, Harris Overpass project manager Kris Humphrey said.
The height will remain the same, but with fewer pillars supporting the span, the area beneath along Seventh and Eighth streets will be more open. A space could be closed off for festivals, and there will be room for development, such as access roads for an arena and convention center, if they’re built.
The bridge will have a pedestrian crossing 4 feet wider. The center line of the road will feature a median, not a wall-like divider, giving emergency vehicles room to get around traffic and make U-turns.
Neighbors on the far side
City planners estimate the detour routes will take 5 to 7 minutes longer than West O Street, affecting many who live west of the overpass.
John Huff, past president of the Capitol Beach Community Association — and city assistant fire chief — said neighbors seem to understand the need. The city involved them early, he said, and made an effort to inform residents out west.
“We know it’s going to be inconvenient for anyone who travels the West O corridor,” he said.
Wearing his fire department hat, he said the neighborhood would remain well protected.
“We have units on both sides of the bridge,” Huff explained.
“It will hamper response times in some instances,” he said. For example, the unit on the west side of the bridge often answers calls on the east side, near downtown, and that could take slightly longer.
“So we will have to move some units around.”
The Detours
Two official detours — one to the south, and one to the north — were chosen, both for their safety and their relatively short travel time.
But once vehicles reach the old entry points to the bridge, they’ll have limited options.
A back-up at the bridge site is what project planners hope to avoid.
“We want people to be making that decision (about which detour they will take) further back, before they even reach the downtown area,” said Linda Beacham of Schemmer Associates, which helped plan the bridge project.
The two routes were carefully selected and portions of the detour routes were upgraded to handle the extra cars, she said.
From downtown, drivers on the south detour can get on L Street and take Rosa Parks (formerly Capitol Parkway) to Homestead Expressway (U.S. 77).
Taking the north detour, drivers can take North 10th Street to the cloverleaf on Cornhusker Highway, then turn south onto North First Street and the west jog of Charleston Street, before hooking up with Sun Valley Boulevard.
Other options are available, but are strongly discouraged, mostly for safety reasons.
The alternative routes would cut through neighborhoods, cross busy railroad tracks or are too narrow for heavy traffic, Kris Humphrey, bridge project manager for Public Works, explained.
The construction start was planned to follow the last Husker football home game.
But the spring baseball season at Haymarket Park, bringing more cars to Sun Valley Boulevard, will be the bigger challenge.
The bridge planners encourage the public to park downtown and walk to the game during this time.
Overall, the project planners expect a few headaches in the first week the bridge is closed, and during peak traffic times next spring.
“The level of disruption can be manageable if we get the word out in advance,” said Scott Opfer, traffic manager for Public Works.
By the numbers:
1 - One year of construction
$18 million - Construction cost
$11, 000 a day - Maximum incentive contractor can earn by finishing the bridge early
9 - Net parking spaces will be gained in the Haymarket
100 years - Expected life span of the new bridge
70 - Number of trains a day that pass beneath the Harris Overpass. Many more are stored on side tracks, where cars are formed into trains.
26,000 - Number of vehicles that travel the Harris Overpass each day
Harris Overpass history
The bridge was named for John F. Harris, to honor the Harris family, which donated the land for Pioneers Park.
A bridge has crossed the low, flat area and railyard since the late 1880s. The Harris Overpass, built in 1954, is the third bridge at the site.
The bridge was re-decked in 1979, when some lanes were closed for one year.
In 1985, a train derailed beneath the bridge and knocked out one column of the three-column piers.
How long, how much
The bridge’s contractor can make up as much as $3,500 to $11,000 extra, per day, if the bridge project is completed early.
The incentives are calculated on a complicated formula that takes into account the impact of lost sales and long commutes and other factors, said Kris Humphrey, bridge project manager for Public Works.
The winning project bid was $18 million, 80 percent of which will be paid for with federal bridge replacement funds. The Railroad Transportation Safety District, funded by Lancaster County property taxes, will pick up the other 20 percent.
How the Harris Overpass closing could affect the Homeless
Closing the bridge could cause big problems for Lincoln’s homeless and low-income populations.
“It’s very scary for us because there is the potential for real harm,” said Pastor Tom Barber, executive director of the People’s City Mission, which offers homeless support services from its office off West O Street.
His clients need to check in for overnight stays by 10 p.m.
He’s especially worried clients will hurry home from downtown Lincoln and cut across the railraod tracks, rather than taking the designated pedestrian detour.
And he’s worried because many of his clients have jobs and rely on city buses for transportation.
While StarTran has added an extra bus to its Arnold Heights route, which serves West O Street, at peak times, the extra commuting time will mean workers need to get on the bus earlier and will get home later.
“If you’re a single mom and you’re struggling to get to work the way it is, it’s another obstacle,” Barber said.
The mission is looking for more volunteers to drive its van at night, so it can pick up those who might be walking home, especially during the cold winter ahead.
“We’ll need to do a lot more shuttling,” he said. “We need more volunteers to do it.”
He’s also worried because the mission also will complete its expansion, giving it room for 400 people, up from 250, in January.
The Lincoln Action Program also is readying its clients and family advocates for closure of the bridge.
The public services agency is printing maps of the detour routes with directions in Spanish and Arabic because the majority of its clients speak English or those two languages, said Aaron Bowen, chief operating officer.
The agency also might find new temporary locations for services it offers at its center on West O Street, such as English as a Second Language classes.
“A lot of our families may not have transportation,” Bowen said. “We’ll bring the services to them or find a way to get them to us.”
The bus
Star Tran added an extra driver position this year so two buses will run during peak times on the Arnold Heights route, which handles West O Street.
The extra bus will run roughly from 5 to 9 a.m. and 2 to 7 p.m., said Mike Weston, operations superintendent for Star Tran.
Also, the detour will take more time. “It will be a longer ride, there’s just nothing we can do about it,” he said.
Reach Kendra Waltke at 473-7303 or kwaltke@journalstar.com.