COLUMBUS, Ohio (June 16, 2015) — The  Ohio Department of Transportation has contracted with Woolpert to prepare full-scale design plans for the renovation of the State Route 513 bridge over Interstate 70 in Guernsey County.

Woolpert will replace the superstructure of the bridge, which is categorized by the state as requiring the most complex level of bridge design. The bridge’s geometry includes horizontal and vertical curves, skew, dog-leg beams and superelevation.

Preliminary and final design will use LiDAR (light detection and ranging) provided by ODOT and supplemented by Woolpert.

The renovation will include replacing the bridge deck and abutments, and elevating the vertical clearance on I-70 to accommodate the increase in oversize vehicles and interstate commercial traffic.

“We’ll need to raise the lowest portion about 9 inches,” said Ron Mattox, Woolpert project manager. “The bridge is on a curve, so one side is higher than the other. We’ll use higher-strength steel and a more refined analysis to get that required clearance.”

Mattox said ODOT prefers a minimum vertical clearance of 16 feet, 6 inches, which is above the national minimum of 16 feet.

Woolpert—a national architecture, engineering and geospatial firm—has many years of experience in high-level bridge design for public agencies, including ODOT, and private companies.

Mattox said SR 513 and I-70 are expected to remain open during the reconstruction process.

“Operationally, the bridge will be the same as it is now, and most people driving over it won’t even notice a difference,” Mattox said. “But it will be higher relative to the interstate below and therefore safer.”

Construction is expected to begin in October 2017.

About Woolpert

Woolpert is a national architecture, engineering and geospatial (AEG) firm that delivers value to clients by strategically blending engineering excellence with leading-edge technology and geospatial applications. With a dynamic R&D department, Woolpert works with inventive business partners like Google; operates a fleet of planes, sensors and unmanned aerial systems (UAS); and continually pushes industry boundaries by working with advanced water technologies, asset management, Building Information Modeling (BIM) and sustainable design. Woolpert’s mission is to help its clients progress—and become more progressive. For over 100 years and with more than 25 offices across the United States, Woolpert serves the needs of federal, state, and local governments; private and public companies and universities; energy and transportation departments; and the United States Armed Forces. For more information, visit  woolpert.com or call 937-531-1258.