New bridge is the first of its kind in the country

ZANESVILLE, Ohio — Muskingum County is getting a new structure, and it’s the first of it’s kind in the country.

A new bridge is being constructed in Roseville near the corner of E. First St. and Cannelville Rd– a bridge with a unique design that will allow it to last for more than 100 years.

“There’s a tub underneath, hollow tub, that’s made out of a flat extruded piece of steel, and then there is what they call a sandwich plate system decking that’s on top of this. Very durable product, it’s a two part system, you set the deck down on top of the tub itself. So it’s the two parts that’s innovative. This is the second bridge with the tub in the country that’s this state, but it’s the first one with both parts together,” explained Doug Davis, the Muskingum County Engineer.

Davis says that Muskingum County, and Roseville, are an ideal location to put this new bridge due to the low-lying areas and steep ravines that exist. He says that the water rises and drops very quickly, and the low-acidic PH levels are bad for concrete beams, which can cause more rapid deterioration of standard concrete structures.

A professor out of West Virginia has been working on this technology for several years, and Davis himself has been working on this bridge for Roseville for over a year-and-a-half from designs, to bidding, and construction. The bridge was tested over three million times in simulations and they never reached the tubs with lab standards, meaning cars and trucks can drive over the bridge for well over a 100 years without the stability being compromised.

Davis also explains that the technology of the bridge allows the entire structure to be fabricated in a shop, put on a semi-truck, and constructed in the field. From the time the trucks arrived to the super-structure being set, it only took approximately 20 minutes. It would take 3-4 weeks with a conventional design.

Davis says he is happy that both federal and state officials trusted him to undertake this project, and he hopes it leads to further focus on the county’s infrastructure that badly needs attention.

“I’m just pleased that they saw fit and trusted me to be able to take our involvement in this research project to be able to do it in Muskingum County. A, number one, we get an extra bridge that know that we need, and we’ve got dozens of these that need to be done in our county with the limited resources that we have. Our bridges are in deplorable conditions. We just want to keep working hard for our community, keep adding these things and don’t take our bridges for granted,” added Davis.

Construction of the bridge began May 1st and is scheduled to be completed by next Friday, ahead of the 30-day timeline.