Palmer Engineering was contracted by the Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works to prepare construction plans for the replacement or rehabilitation of Cedar Road Bridge No. 229 over Doan Brook in the University Circle area in the City of Cleveland. The structure was originally constructed as a conventional bridge prior to the urbanization of this area of the city. Subsequent development projects, which occurred during the 1920’s through the 1940’s, enclosed Doan Brook in culverts upstream and downstream of the bridge. The resultant culvert system, which includes the Cedar Road Bridge, is nearly one mile long and is buried beneath this heavily developed area. The complexity of this project was exacerbated by its proximity to a new Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority rail/bus transfer facility, Case Western Reserve University, the University Hospital complex, and shops and restaurants of the “Little Italy” neighborhood.
The project included a confined space entry field inspection and detailed preliminary engineering study to access the integrity of the existing structure. Various rehabilitation and replacement options were evaluated, and a preferred alternative was recommended based upon factors including the extent of deterioration, cost and schedule issues, hydraulics, maintenance of traffic, utility coordination, and right-of-way. Construction of this project was completed in 2017.