Wednesday, February 17, 1999
Landmark for Butler Co.
Huge bridge, centerpiece of new highway, takes shape
BY DAVID ECK
Enquirer Contributor
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP — Construction workers and administrators on Tuesday snapped pictures and stared as crews began assembling a massive highway bridge over Maud-Hughes Road.
Ironworkers placed the first of more than 35 steel beams that will carry the Butler Regional Highway over Maud-Hughes Road, Gregory Creek and a set of twin Conrail railroad tracks. The beams stand more than 7 feet tall, and some weigh in excess of 50 tons.
Among biggest spans in Ohio
The bridge will rise nearly 90 feet above the ground and will be 1,400 feet long. It will be the biggest bridge in Butler County and among the largest in the state.
The $11.3 million bridge won't be finished until late this year, when the entire highway could open to traffic.
“It's roughly 10 percent of the entire regional highway in terms of cost,” said Monica Menke-Watts, spokeswoman for the Butler County Transportation Improvement District, the agency charged with building and improving roads in Butler County. “It's an important project, and I think it is definitely one of the centerpiece projects of the highway. It's just an amazing bridge.”
When designing the highway, planners chose to carry the road well above the train tracks and the creek to eliminate any environmental damage, Mrs. Menke-Watts said. The structure was designed by KZF Inc., a Cincinnati architectural firm, and the bridge beams were fabricated by PDM Bridge in northern Wisconsin.
“It's a huge bridge,” said Butler County Engineer Dean Foster, who bills himself a bridge buff. “Those piers are really an awesome sight. And you've got that gorge feeling.”
An illustration of the bridge perhaps could be used as a logo for the highway, he said.
The bridge may be featured in trade or construction journals, and could become a Butler County showpiece, Mrs. Menke-Watts said.
Highway work chugs along
The 11-mile highway is well ahead of schedule, with 50 percent of the construction completed in 30 percent of the anticipated time, Mrs. Menke-Watts said. An initial leg from Interstate 75 to Cincinnati Dayton Road could be open by late summer, and the entire road may be open by the end of the year.
“The contractor has been great,” Mrs. Menke-Watts said. “They've worked with us every step of the way. We are very happy with the progress of the highway.”
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