Pier protection cell underneath I-30 bridge damaged over weekend

The Interstate 30 bridge in downtown Little Rock is shown in this 2014 file photo.
The Interstate 30 bridge in downtown Little Rock is shown in this 2014 file photo.

A pier protection cell on the Arkansas River underneath the Interstate 30 bridge between Little Rock and North Little Rock partially caved in over the weekend, an Arkansas Department of Transportation spokesman said.

Damage to the cell, a large cylinder filled with rocks designed to prevent barges from striking the bridge, is the result of spring flooding, spokesman Danny Straessle said.

Straessle said the flooded river swept the top layer of rocks out of the cylinder in the spring.

Straessle said the Department of Transportation believes in the absence of the rocks, the river’s flow caused the cylinder to collapse in near its top. Cells go down into the riverbed, and Straessle said the cell is not believed to be on its side or moved.

“Our working theory is the force of the river during its normal course caused it to bend,” Straessle said.

The cell’s damage doesn’t pose a threat to the bridge or barges, Straessle said, because the navigation channel the cell protects is no longer used. The channel was once used, but barges now go through a different channel, which has functional protection cells.

Straessle said the department is assessing whether it possesses the sonar equipment needed to fully investigate the cell or if it will need to bring in a contractor.

Even though the cell protects a navigation channel no longer in use, Straessle said the cells are low maintenance items and upkeep is cheaper than taking them out.

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