ADOT chosen for $21.6M grant for Virgin River Bridge
Jun 22, 2012, 10:34 AM | Updated: 10:42 am
The Arizona Department of Transportation has been awarded a $21.6 million federal grant to rehabilitate a bridge on Interstate 15 in the Virgin River Gorge in the northwest corner of the state.
The bridge at milepost 16 is heavily traveled, connecting southern California and the Rocky Mountain area. Construction could begin as soon as next year with a projected finish in 2015.
“The bridges on I-15 do not meet modern standards, so we’ll look to widen the bridge and add shoulders, where possible,” said state bridge engineer Jean Nehme.
ADOT is conducting a feasibility study on rehabilitating all eight of the I-15 Virgin River bridges, which were constructed in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The bridges are safe for travel, but they require extensive refurbishment to continue supporting traffic. More than 1.4 million commercial trucks yearly make the drive across Arizona’s portion of the interstate.
