Staddens Road Emergency Bridge Replacement
RESTORING A KEY RIVER CROSSING AFTER DAMAGE FROM EXTREME WEATHER
Our Client’s Challenge
After heavy rains in May 2018, Licking County staff performed an emergency bridge inspection of the Staddens Bridge Road structure over the Licking River in Newark, Ohio, and found an enormous logjam on the bridge’s upstream side. They closed the bridge and contacted Gannett Fleming to evaluate the bridge damage.
The impact of the debris had broken one of the pier piles and pushed it downstream. Our engineers assisted Licking County staff with evaluating the remaining beam bridge elements that could be safely inspected. The team concluded that extensive damage to the pier, as well as to other pier pile-to-cap bolted connections, combined with the age of the structure, warranted an emergency bridge replacement, since the bridge was one of three river crossings in the county.
With the damaged bridge closed to traffic, we provided design services for the emergency effort, focusing on minimizing disruption to the local community. After receiving the authorization to proceed, our team:
- Performed a geotechnical exploration.
- Developed design recommendations.
- Completed a hydraulic and scour analysis.
- Performed ecological, cultural resource, and waterway permit investigations.
- Completed the roadway and bridge designs and construction plans in eight weeks, including all required reviews.
Our Solution
The existing bridge was demolished and the new bridge and approach roadway were constructed in nine months. We assisted Licking County with contractor questions during construction, helping restore a key thoroughfare and ending miles-long detours.
The new, three-span structure is composed of continuous, galvanized steel beams and a composite concrete deck superstructure on integral abutments and concrete wall piers. The use of galvanized beams for the new bridge construction provides decades of maintenance-free longevity, makes the bridge more corrosion-resistant, and offers a longer life cycle. When bridges are built with galvanized steel, the coatings can last up to 50 years. Our team designed deep foundations with the capacity to resist extreme event scour and located them to avoid existing foundations.
Improvements to the approach roadway involved constructing new approach slabs and full-depth pavement to provide the required superelevation on each curve, as well as pavement resurfacing and guardrail upgrades. The structure is situated on a tangent alignment between reverse horizontal curves with a significant superelevation transition. Adjusting for the crest vertical curvature and transitioning superelevation resulted in significant beam cambers.
Key Features
- Delivered emergency inspection and design services to support client needs.
- Continuous, galvanized steel beams and a composite concrete deck superstructure provide long-term service.
- Deep foundations offer strong support for new construction.
- Completed bridge design in eight weeks and construction in nine months to open a safe, new river crossing structure.
Outcomes
- Extended service life for critical transportation infrastructure.
- Restored thoroughfare serving thousands of motorists every day.
- Expedited project schedule, which minimized traffic disruption.
CLIENT
Licking County
LOCATION
Newark, Ohio
ROLE
Investigation, Design
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