PASADENA, CA Parsons announces that it was awarded the construction of the I-40 White River Bridge and approaches in Prairie County, Arkansas. Under this contract for the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, Parsons will serve as the prime contractor and lead partner in the Parsons/CJ Mahan joint venture for the construction of a new, 1.21-mile bridge. The new bridge will be constructed approximately 200 feet upstream from the existing bridge to avoid interruption of highway traffic. 

"Parsons is proud that we've been selected for this important bridge replacement project, which is our construction group's first project for the State of Arkansas," said Donald Graul, Parsons Group President. "We are pleased to partner with CJ Mahan Construction to build a bridge that will meet the changing transportation needs in the area now and for years to come."

The existing White River Bridge has 4, 12-foot-wide travel lanes and 200 feet of vertical clearance between piers for commercial navigation vessels. The new bridge will have 18 spans comprising six travel lanes and will provide 321.5 feet of horizontal clearance between the two main river piers and 51.9 feet of vertical clearance above the flow line of the White River channel. It will also use drilled shaft foundations in lieu of the original pile foundation design that provides the benefit of reduced construction costs and time. In addition, construction of the new bridge will include demolition of the old bridge, earthwork, traffic maintenance, and erosion control.

I-40 is an east-west interstate highway connecting Oklahoma and Tennessee with the majority of the route in Arkansas. Construction of the new White River Bridge and approaches is scheduled to begin in March 2017 and is expected to be complete in summer 2019. The new bridge is aimed at modernizing the area's transportation infrastructure and provide improved safety and mobility for travelers.