No weather delays in April on Elmore bridge project
Bridge beams in place, deck is being formed
The following is a progress update regarding the state Route 51 (Toledo Street) bridge replacement project in the village of Elmore, Ottawa County. The $5.4 million project will completely replace the bridge that carries state Route 51 over the Portage River. The bridge closed March 16, 2020 for approximately 150 days and is expected to reopen in August of 2020.
BOWLING GREEN, OHIO (May 21, 2020) - It’s good news when a construction project can remain on schedule in the early and usually rainy months of construction season. That is the case with the bridge replacement on State Route 51 in Elmore as work is progressing as planned and remains on schedule for completion in late fall, with the reopening in August.
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The new bridge beams were placed as scheduled on May 6-8. Five beams a day were placed, one span a day. A bridge span is the distance between piers. The Elmore bridge is a three-span bridge. |
There were no lost days due to weather on the project in April – a significant difference over last spring’s conditions, if you recall.
Drainage work on the north end of the bridge is complete and the base of the roadway is ready for asphalt. On the south end, both the drainage and base for the roadway are to be completed. Work to form the bridge deck is currently under way.
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The bridge's ashlar stone pattern, which was chosen by the citizens of Elmore, was created with this concrete form liner. This test section of wall (pictured below) will be stained to ensure the color is right prior to staining the entire bridge. The final product will mimic natural rock with grout lines. |
A note for boaters . . .
Now that warm weather and a holiday weekend are approaching, kayakers and others traversing the Portage River are reminded that no boating of any kind is permitted through the project area. Boaters are directed to detour in Woodville or at River Bend Park. Signs placed on buoys at these points clearly denote where to exit.
Special extras . . .
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A tribute to the designer of the original and historic Elmore bridge is included in the project. A granite base displaying a bronze plaque honoring David Henry Overman will be placed in Harry Witty Park. Overman designed the bridge during his first year with the Ohio Department of Highway’s bridge bureau. Pictured is a draft preview of the plaque.
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The next big event on the bridge will likely be the pouring of the bridge deck. We'll let you know when those plans come together.
Work to remove the stone causeway within the river can occur in July once the fish spawning season has concluded. At that time, we can also remove some of the stone from the riverbed that washed away from the causeway.
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On Deck . . .
questions of curiosity from observers of the project
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Q. There are two additional projects occurring in the Elmore area. Are these related to the bridge project?
A. There is currently a resurfacing project taking place on State Route 51 between the village of Elmore and the village of Genoa. Another project is constructing a bike path from Genoa to connect to the existing trail in Elmore. These are separate projects and are not related to the bridge work.
Visit the project website and see a live view from our camera. A new photo is taken every 15 minutes Monday-Saturday, between 7 a.m.-5 p.m.:
Elmore bridge website
You can view photos of the bridge project here.
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Information regarding the project will be prefaced with #ElmoreBridge
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Contact: ODOT District 2's public information office
(419) 373-4428; D02.PIO@dot.ohio.gov
Know Before You Go!
For more detailed traffic information, and to get personalized traffic alerts for your commute, download the OHGO app or visit OHGO.com.
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