First Avenue Bridge work staying ahead of schedule

The $27 million rebuild should be completed before the Nov. 16 deadline, engineer Matt Hardt said. Work is wrapping up on the west portion of the bridge.

Freeport-based Civil Constructors has completed substructure work on all of the piers, finished the structural steel work, and poured the bridge deck, Hardt said.

This week, Hardt said, the company started work on the decorative railing and began pouring the parapet – the barrier wall between the road and the sidewalk.

Work has also begun on the south median, from First Street to Second Street in Rock Falls.

Next week, contractors will finish paving asphalt from First Street to Second Street in Rock Falls, complete the railing, and start setting the decorative light poles, Hardt said. Work on the curb and gutter and sidewalks also will be completed.

Hardt said it still is too early to announce a completion date.

As an incentive, for each day before the deadline that the project is completed, the contractor can earn $33,333. The incentive can be collected for up to 30 days, for a total of $1 million.

There are penalties if the project is not done on time.

Once completed, the bridge between Sterling and Rock Falls will look like the Galena Avenue Bridge in Dixon.