January 7, 2011                                                                                               FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For additional information, contact City of Duluth Project Manager Matt Decur at (218) 730-5104; Aerial Lift Bridge Supervisor Ryan Beamer at (218) 723-3387; LHB Engineers and Architects Project Manager Joe Litman at (218) 279-2455; or Amy Norris in the City’s Communications Office at (218) 730-4312.

Lift Bridge to resume nighttime closure schedule on January 15

The Aerial Lift Bridge rehabilitation project will resume temporary nighttime closures from January 15, 2011, through January 17, 2011.  The bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic from 1:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. – 5:30 a.m. during this closure period.  The bridge will be opened to vehicular traffic from 3:00 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. to clear any waiting traffic. 

Beginning Monday, January 17, 2011, the bridge will be restricted to one-lane, one-way traffic.  The signals at each end of the bridge will be used to keep traffic flowing through the work area.  The bridge is anticipated to be opened back up to two-way traffic on or before March 15, 2011.

In addition, intermittent day time bridge closures will be required as work crews install materials and construct painting enclosure systems.  These closures should not last longer than 15 minutes per occasion and will occur throughout the duration of the construction project.

These closures are necessary to continue setup of the scaffold and platform system which is to be used in the upcoming repainting of the bridge towers and repair of structural steel elements.

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