Bypass Concerns Answered

The recent issue with the bypass bridge brought up quite a few questions regarding the safety of the bypass bridge itself. This editor received several phone calls from concerned citizens so I reached out to ARDOT for answers.

Jared Bymaster, District 2 Maintenance Engineer | ARDOT, responded in an email regarding the situation and this is what he said:

“The slope paving collapsed due to erosion of soil in the embankment. The erosion created a void, and the concrete collapsed. We believe the water intrusion that caused the erosion occurred through failed joint sealant on the bridge deck. The joint seals have been repaired. Larger aggregate has been used to replace much of the soil that eroded on the embankment. Flowable fill, a cementitious slurry, will be used to fill voids that are more difficult to access. Replacing the concrete slope paving should begin tomorrow, 5/21/2025. All repairs should be complete by the end of next week.

 Fortunately, this issue with the slope paving did not affect the structural integrity of the bridge. ARDOT engineers and bridge inspection teams assessed the situation the morning we learned of the failure. That is why we left the bridge open to traffic.”

I appreciate Jared’s prompt response to my questions and hopefully, this will put people’s concerns to rest.