The Town of Bayfield invites the public to the grand opening of the new Twin Bridges, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 21.
Following the event, Bayfield Parkway and the bridges will open to traffic for the first time since March.
"This event serves as a great opportunity to thank the public for their patience during construction, and more importantly, to celebrate this new and enhanced traffic corridor in town," says Town Manager Chris La May.
While the bridges and the roadway will be open to traffic starting the afternoon of Nov. 21, additional work may be necessary to finish the construction. If more work is necessary, it will take place after the Thanksgiving holiday. While crews are on-site, traffic will take turns in single lanes with traffic control.
The old Bayfield Twin Bridges, built in the 1930s, did not meet current traffic standards and were required to be replaced. The new bridges now offer one traffic lane in each direction, pedestrian access from County Road 516 to Mill Street, and a shared use pathway under the new structure, connecting Mill Street to Joe Stephenson Park and Eagle Park.
The contractor, SEMA Construction, was able to construct both bridges simultaneously, contributing to the shortening of the project construction time. Work on this project has been completed ahead of the original schedule and under budget.
Events on Tuesday include:
1 p.m. - gathering at Eagle Park to meet and greet1:30 p.m. - tour of the project 2 p.m. - ribbon-cutting ceremony and officially open to the publicIn March, the Town of Bayfield began the project to replace the Bayfield Twin bridges and improve the roadway and pedestrian access of Bayfield Parkway. Work involved the placement of 750 cubic yards of concrete, 142,000 pounds of epoxy rebar and 400 linear feet of caissons.
