Bridge Builders Biography Chapter 15

Alkire Road Railroad Overpass

The widening and reconstruction of Alkire Road, from Harrisburg Pike (U.S. Rt. 62) to Creekside Drive, in 2011, included the construction of a new railroad overpass.

The single-span, steel beam bridge is 77 feet long, 22 feet wide, and 20 feet tall. It carries a single track operated by the Indiana & Ohio Railroad.

Shelly & Sands, Inc. built the $6.1 million project from plans prepared by Tran Systems, Inc.

Travel on Alkire Road was vastly improved by the construction of the new overpass, which accommodates east and westbound lanes, a center turn lane, bike lane, and sidewalk. The previous overpass, built in 1902, was a single-barrel stone arch structure that narrowly fit two lanes of traffic without sidewalks.

A temporary bridge was erected directly over the old bridge so that railroad service could be maintained during most of the project.