As Dauphin County’s retained bridge engineer, HRG was asked to design a four-span, 267-foot long replacement structure for a functionally obsolete bridge carrying Hanover Street over Swatara Creek near Hershey, Pennsylvania. This $4.7 million bridge project is located in a high profile recreation area near the Hershey Entertainment complex, and the South Hanover Township public park. Therefore, this project involved several challenges.
One major issue to address involved the potential 1.8 mile detour that would result from closing the bridge or posting it for a weight limit. This extended detour would significantly impact emergency response times in the nearby Village of Union Deposit since the bridge is the only direct connection from Hersheypark Drive across Swatara Creek to the Village of Union Deposit in South Hanover Township. In addition, the project site was known for being the scene of serious accidents due to the existing bridge’s narrow 18-foot width and very substandard horizontal curvature on its north approach.
HRG’s professional team of engineers overcame these critical issues by designing a replacement bridge on a new alignment that ensures continued southern access to the Village of Union Deposit community, eliminates a very dangerous alignment, and eliminates the offset intersection of Hanover Street and North Hockersville Road.
Furthermore, the design successfully minimized impacts to surrounding environmental and cultural resources, such as an archaeological site at the confluence of Swatara and Spring Creek, the Reading Railroad bridge abutment on the south side of Swatara Creek, and a sanitary sewer pump station in the project area.
It is because of HRG’s performance on these challenging high-profile projects that Dauphin County Commissioner Jeffrey Haste offers the following endorsement of the project team’s capabilities and technical competence:
“HRG’s partnership with Dauphin County began over two decades ago. Because the firm offers a depth of engineering and related services, HRG has been successful in providing services for a wide range of projects involving bridge rehabilitations, design, and inspection. I would like to credit HRG’s team of professionals for their expertise, guidance, and quick response on each and every assignment. We have successfully overcome numerous challenges due to their experience and knowledge of the latest techniques and design solutions. Perhaps more importantly, they have a thorough understanding of local, state, and federal government regulations impacting our initiatives.”
