Bridge Replacement over Tinkers Creek

The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission (OTIC) selected Woolpert to provide services to replace the bridge carrying the Ohio Turnpike over Tinkers Creek at MP 185.6. This portion of roadway is classified as an interstate highway with a 70-mph posted speed limit and an ADT of 35,933 vehicles per day. The existing bridges vary in width, and both westbound and eastbound centerline of lanes skew marginally from this baseline. As part of this bridge replacement, the centerline of lanes will be realigned to be parallel to the baseline between structures, providing constant bridge widths for the future. The proposed structures will be built to a 60-ft travel-way width, with three 12-ft lanes, a 14.5-ft inside shoulder and 9.5-ft outside shoulder to match existing conditions. Woolpert also recommends pavement repairs that include repairing existing pavement patches on the west side of the bridge.

The Woolpert team completed a conceptual bridge type study for the proposal and found that the existing mainline structures over Tinkers Creek can be shortened to control construction costs and lower long-term asset management costs for OTIC. Shortening the bridges will require extending roadway embankment and pavement on the east side, where the roadway rises approximately 20-ft above a marsh. The roadway embankment will be constructed to provide a smooth transition to the bridge for years to come.

Post-construction best management practices (BMPs) will be required for this project site. Since this project will be considered a redevelopment project contained within existing right-of-way, only water quality treatment will be required. Woolpert’s analysis of the project site determined that vegetated biofilters and/or vegetated filter strips will be the most economical post-construction BMP.

Woolpert will also be responsible for phased maintenance of traffic plans and construction administration. The bridge will be constructed in three phases using crossover construction techniques, which will always maintain two lanes of traffic in each direction, thereby providing a safe work zone while maintaining existing levels of service on the Ohio Turnpike.

Woolpert's survey crew provided mobile lidar and traditional surveying to complete a full topographic survey of the project site. The primary control was established per DOT specifications. Woolpert also performed a bridge survey to capture all bridge features, as well as employed GPS and conventional surveying techniques to effectively locate utilities and show them in a 2D plan view in AutoCAD.