Ready when our clients need us most

When an unexpected incident happens, the pressure to act quickly—and get it right—can be intense. Timelines tighten, priorities shift, and the need for a dependable partner becomes essential.

One of our clients, the Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA), found themselves in that position last spring. On Friday, April 18, 2025, a tall piece of equipment traveling on a flatbed trailer struck the I-35 (Kansas Turnpike) northbound bridge over US-50 near Emporia, Kansas. KTA reached out to us immediately, and we were onsite with them and the contractor later that afternoon.

“It’s very satisfying to help a client meet the immediate need that an emergency bridge closure presents to the travelling public,” explains JEO project manager Shawn Schwensen, P.E. “We had just submitted our prequalification credentials to the KTA prior to the bridge hit, so selecting us showed they had confidence that we could meet the challenge.”

The initial inspection revealed significant damage to the first three girders on the bridge’s north end. They were mangled and had even been pushed sideways due to the impact.

The project team gathered again on Monday, April 21—the next business day after the strike—for a concept meeting. Participants included the KTA, the Kansas Department of Transportation, the contractors, and us. From that discussion, a three-fold approach emerged:

• Support the damaged bridge. This necessary first step was needed to provide a safe working environment. It was accomplished both from the ground and from above. On US-50, two falsework towers were attached to the bridge, with the towers supporting a beam mounted under the edge of the bridge. On the bridge deck, a strongback supported the entire span.
• Straighten the salvageable sections. In some locations, the girders were bent but not torn. There, a specialty contractor was able to use intense heat to straighten the bent steel back into place. 
• Reconstruct the damaged girders. In other locations, the damage was so severe that the contractor had to remove the damaged pieces of girder and insert new ones.

The damage affected traffic on both northbound I-35 and US-50. Each roadway was reduced to a single lane, with vehicles shifted away from the damaged area.

From the beginning, the entire team knew the project needed to be completed on an aggressive timeline. Work began immediately. During the first week, we worked diligently to create an inventory of the pieces that would need to be created by the steel fabricator. It was essential that those pieces be identified and ordered quickly so they would be on site and ready for installation as soon as the heat straightening process was completed. By early in the second week, design plans were finalized, accommodating the schedules of two different contractors who had unique roles to play in the repairs.

The shoring plan resulted from true collaboration between the KTA, the contractors, and us. To avoid delays, these plan sheets were shared with the client as soon as they were completed—an unconventional, a la carte style. We tracked where sheets were in the process and communicated consistently with all parties to keep the project organized and moving forward.

On-site work began on June 12, 2025, when the falsework started to take shape to support the bridge. Then on June 17, 2025, the heat straightening began. Reconstruction kicked off on July 18, 2025.

Repairs were completed and all lanes of northbound I-35 traffic reopened on August 8, just 16 weeks after the hit. We’re honored that KTA chose us for this project. We look forward to continuing our collaboration on future projects—whether emergent or planned.

Some photos on this page are courtesy of the Kansas Turnpike Authority.