U.S. 31 bridge at southern county line reopens today

A bridge on U.S. 31 between Columbus and Seymour will open to traffic this morning.

The Sand Creek Bridge, at the Bartholomew County/Jackson County line on U.S. 31, will reopen three weeks ahead of schedule, Indiana Department of Transportation officials said.

The $8.5 million project involved Milestone Contractors building a new 382-foot bridge, and raising approaches to the bridge by five feet. A culvert was replaced north of Sand Creek and an arch structure was built south of Sand Creek at Quade Ditch.

The U.S. 31 project launched in mid-March when crews began repairing and resurfacing 16 miles of the federal highway.

It also included constructing a single-lane roundabout at County Road 400S, about two miles south of State Road 7.

Slope work, seeding and minor repair operations in the area will continue into 2017, INDOT officials said.