The westbound side of the Kenyon Road Bridge will be dismantled and replaced with new structures in a yearlong effort expected to start Sept. 20.

Because of the huge impact this project will have on traffic, the contractor is being encouraged to essentially work on it non-stop until it is done, according to Jenny Hoskins, the resident construction engineer in the Jefferson office of the Iowa Department of Transportation.

“There will be much more activity than a normal DOT bridge project,” she said.

Before work begins, all traffic will be moved to the eastbound side of the bridge, with one lane heading in each direction.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
The steel structure of the westbound side of the Kenyon Road Bridge will be dismantled in a project that will begin Sept. 20. New westbound bridge structures will be built to replace it. The work is expected to be done by the fall of 2024.

United Contractors, of Johnston, has a $15.2 million contract to demolish the current westbound structures and build the new ones.

Already in Fort Dodge, contractors are conducting a major overhaul of the Veterans Bridge on First Avenue South. That bridge has been closed since March 13. Also, another company is repairing the bridge that carries the southbound lanes of U.S. Highway 169 over Second Avenue South.

The Kenyon Road Bridge actually consists of four structures — two on the westbound side and two on the eastbound side — that carry the road over the Canadian National Railway tracks, Pleasant Valley and the Des Moines River. The eastbound and westbound sides are different kinds of structures.

The eastbound bridges are made of concrete, while the westbound ones are steel frame bridges. The westbound bridges have a very similar design to the Interstate 35 West bridge that collapsed in the Twin Cities of Minnesota in 2007.

Last spring, some concrete repairs were done on the westbound lanes of the bridges and beams under the eastbound lanes were repaired.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
The green steel structure of the westbound section of the Kenyon Road Bridge stands in contrast to the concrete structure of the eastbound lanes. The westbound sections of the bridge will be taken down and replaced in a project to begin Sept. 20.

The upcoming demolition may start with the westbound span over the Des Moines River, which is now relatively low.

“The contractor will probably prefer to take advantage of low water,” Hoskins said.

She said the demolition will have to be done very carefully to prevent anything from falling onto the railroad tracks or into the river.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
The steel structure of the westbound lanes of the Kenyon Road Bridge span the Des Moines River in Fort Dodge. The state Department of Transportation has hired a contractor to dismantle the westbound sections of the bridge and replace it with a new one.