Waterford Covered Bridge Named Project of the Year
The Waterford Covered Bridge Rehabilitation has been named Project of the Year by the American Society of Highway Engineers’ Franklin chapter. HRG accepted the award last night and shared a brief presentation about the project, which involved repairing and reusing portions of this historic bridge wherever possible while providing the structural integrity to handle modern highway loads. This was accomplished with a unique solution: the addition of a structurally independent floor system that absorbs the vehicle loads without support from the truss and roof.
The floor system is constructed of steel I-beams and nail-laminated timber decking to handle up to 15-ton vehicles. The connection between the bottom chords of the lattice trusses and the steel I-beams allows the floor to deflect vertically under live loading, while the lattice trusses and roof system do not. Conversely, the lattice trusses will deflect under the weight of snow on the roof, but the independent floor system will not.
The historic wooden truss and roof were covered with a stainless steel metal roof, which is better equipped to withstand the lake effect snow in the region. It will shed snow loads more quickly than other roofing materials, reducing the dead load on the bridge. The metal is also fire-resistant, a key consideration since a nearby covered bridge was destroyed by arson in 2008.
Thank you to the ASHE-Franklin chapter for this recognition, and congratulations to everyone who contributed to this project’s success: David McCowin, Matt Arena, RJ Pale, Justin Peaslee, Samer Petro, Geomechanics, Inc., PennDOT District 1-0, Waterford Township (Owner), Chivers Construction Company, Inc., (Contractor) Quality Engineering Solutions, Inc. (Construction Inspection)
