Palmer Engineering prepared plans for the replacement of a 1930’s vintage, 27-span continuous concrete slab bridge that carries US 20 over two lines of Norfolk Southern railroad tracks. The crossing was complicated by a high degree of skew between the railroad lines and the highway as well as the need for the new bridge to span two additional railroad lines that may be added in the future.

Numerous structure types for the replacement bridge were studied in depth, including a precast concrete arch structure, a steel plate girder bridge with post-tensioned concrete pier caps, and a bridge utilizing prestressed concrete beams oriented at a significant skew to the centerline of the roadway--the preferred alternative. This concept required a highly-customized design, including finite element modeling.

Construction was completed in 2016, and the project was honored with the 2017 ODOT Partnering Award along with awards from the Association for Bridge Construction and Design, the Ohio chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies, the national organization of the American Council of Engineering Companies, and the American Society of Highway Engineers.