Jeremiah Morrow Bridge

Jeremiah Morrow Bridge
Coordinates 39°25′9.76″N 84°6′14.47″W / 39.4193778°N 84.1040194°W / 39.4193778; -84.1040194
Carries I-71
Crosses Little Miami River
Locale Fort Ancient and Oregonia, Ohio
Characteristics
Design Continuous truss
Clearance below 239 feet (73 m)
History
Opened 1965[1]
Statistics
Toll No

The Jeremiah Morrow Bridge is a pair of parallel continuous truss bridges which span the Little Miami River gorge between Fort Ancient and Oregonia, Ohio. The bridges are named for Governor Jeremiah Morrow.[2]

The deck truss bridge[3] uses a modified Warren truss design and is continuous across five spans.[4] The bridges carry Interstate 71 and are 239 feet (73 m) above the river, making them the highest bridges in Ohio.[5] Additionally, the bridges are approximately 2300 ft (700m) in length, making them two of the longest interstate bridges in the state. Each bridge carries two lanes of traffic.

A project to replace both spans is underway,[6][7] as these bridges are approximately the same design and age as the I-35W Mississippi River bridge which collapsed in 2007.[3]

Viewing from above and below

Southbound and northbound Interstate 71 users were permitted to stop at scenic overlooks to view the bridges from the rim of the gorge. This ended in 2006. .

The Little Miami Scenic Trail passes under the bridges on the east bank, close to river level, providing an impressive view from below. Trail users, especially first-timers, may stop to gaze before proceeding. There is no sign on the trail to identify the bridges nor give their height. There is no obvious path to ascend to the rim of the gorge from below the bridges, so trail users view the bridges from only one perspective

Replacement of the Jeremiah Morrow Bridge

Jeremiah Morrow Bridge
Coordinates 39°25′9.76″N 84°6′14.47″W / 39.4193778°N 84.1040194°W / 39.4193778; -84.1040194
Carries Interstate 71
Crosses Little Miami River
Locale Fort Ancient and Oregonia, Ohio
Characteristics
Total length 2,240-foot (680 m)
Design life 75 to 100 years
History
Constructed by Kokosing Construction Company
Construction begin 2 August 2010
Construction end Summer 2016
Construction cost $88.1 million

In July 2010, a 6-year project to replace the bridge began with the beginning phases of access roads to the gorge being constructed. A groundbreaking ceremony took place on Aug. 2, 2010.

The new bridge design will involve a segmental concrete box girder, with 440-foot (130 m) main span, perched on concrete piers anchored in the river valley. The design was selected for its constructability, low cost and aesthetics. Each structure will measure 2,240 feet (680 m) in length and 55 feet (17 m) in width. Each structure’s six spans will range in length from 270 feet (82 m) to 440 feet (130 m) to 229 feet (70 m), and pier height will range from 60 to 220 feet (67 m). Each structure will be marked for three lanes and wide shoulders; width would permit reconfiguration of span for four lanes and shoulders for any future widening of I-71. Construction is managed by Omnipro Services, LLC[6] and will involve four phases:

1. Preparatory work beneath the existing twin steel deck-truss bridges
2. Construction of the southbound structure between the existing north and southbound spans.
3. Move northbound traffic onto new structure, followed by demolition of existing northbound bridge and construction of new northbound structure in its place.
4. Move traffic into its final configuration - northbound traffic onto new northbound bridge and southbound traffic onto new southbound bridge, with demolition of existing southbound bridge to follow.

Throughout construction, two lanes of traffic in each direction will be maintained. However, there will be some night time lane closures during phase II. The estimated amount of concrete to be used in the project is approximately 58,000 cubic yards

References

  1. ↑ "Ohio DOT planning information". Dot.state.oh.us. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
  2. ↑ Goodman, Rebecca (2005). "This Day in Ohio History". Emmis Books. p. 304. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Ohio DOT Press Release". Dot.state.oh.us. 2007-08-02. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
  4. ↑ Article about bridge inspection Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ Ohio DOT Web page Archived September 30, 2005, at the Wayback Machine.
  6. 1 2 Jeremiah Morrow Bridge Replacement Project. Omnipro Services, LLC website. Retrieved on 2011-05-05.
  7. ↑ McKibben, Paul (2011-04-20). "Dynamite Will Topple Ohio's Tallest Bridge". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/14/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.