New Bridge Work Closes Part of Gougler Avenue Tuesday

A portion of Gougler Avenue will be closed Tuesday morning to create a staging area for concrete trucks delivering concrete for the new road deck on the Fairchild Avenue Bridge.

Kent City Engineer Jim Bowling said the road will be closed just south of Fairchild Avenue for the 60 truckloads of concrete needed to pour the new bridge deck.

"I’m assuming it’s going to be the right lane" of Gougler Avenue, Bowling said.

Only one lane of the two-lane, one-way street will be closed for the work, which is expected to start at 5:30 a.m. and finish around noon.

The $23 million project is expected to see the new bridge open as early as Oct. 1. The work that remains after the new bridge opens includes demolition of the Crain Avenue Bridge and construction of a new pedestrian bridge in its place.

In an email sent last week, Bowling described Tuesday's concrete pour as a critical step in construction of the new bridge that requires uninterrupted pouring of concrete.