Temporary span could allow Cherry Valley Road bridge to reopen in February
NEWARK − The deteriorating Showman Arch Bridge on Cherry Valley Road could reopen in February following a $1.5 million temporary fix to allow traffic to again use the key connector until completion of a new road and new bridge in 2025.
Newark City Council approved resolutions to provide American Rescue Plan funds and waive bids for the emergency project at a special meeting Monday night.
A 160-foot span, temporary bridge will be suspended three or four feet above the current bridge and rest on foundations on each end, allowing travel to resume without further damaging the 189-year-old bridge that was built to carry water, not vehicles.
“We’re going to be outside of the existing bridge, so we don’t impact the old bridge at all," City Engineer Brian Morehead said. "
The plans are for U.S. Bridge, of Cambridge, to construct the bridge and transport it here in sections in January. At the same time, another contractor will install foundations and pilings at each end for the temporary bridge. U.S. Bridge will then complete the installation on site, connecting the temporary bridge to the foundations.
Mayor Jeff Hall told city council two-way traffic will likely be able to move at 25 to 35 miles per hour on the temporary bridge without load limits.
The bridge closed Oct. 5 after Federal Highway Administration engineers inspected the structure. While the bridge has been deteriorating for years, the recent inspections prompted the immediate closure.
Morehead said the closing wasn’t due to visible changes in the bridge, but a different evaluation of its condition by federal officials. The cracks in the bridge have been visible underneath for decades, he said.
“We’ve been constantly monitoring the old bridge,” Morehead said. “It is all one engineer’s judgement versus another engineer’s judgement. The city and ODOT have kind of been in lock-step of how we’ve been monitoring the thing, but when FHWA engineers came in, they felt otherwise.
"The cracks were here 33 years ago when I started looking at the bridge. Along the cracks, some of the edges of the stones have deteriorated and some pieces have fallen out.”
A planned new road will connect Thornwood Crossing to Thornwood Drive, with a new three-span, steel girder bridge over Raccoon Creek and the bike path, and a new roundabout at an intersection of Reddington Road, Thornwood Drive and a relocated River Road.
The new road will bypass Cherry Valley Road and the Showman Arch Bridge. When the new road opens in 2025, the temporary bridge will be dismantled and could be used elsewhere. The Showman Arch Bridge will remain in place for pedestrian use.
The mayor said little can be done to change the timeline for the $17 million Thornwood Crossing road project.
“That project is doing very well," Hall said. "It’s very hard to rush it from where it is now. Usually, the rushing is on the front end, with some of the planning, some of the financing.”
He said the bids are due in March and it will take at least two years for construction.
Closing of the bridge slowed response times from the fire station on West Main Street and delayed medics going to Licking Memorial Hospital, the mayor said. The road closed at Reddington Road, just south of the Showman Arch Bridge.
“It has caused an immense amount of congestion on that side of town," Hall said. "We’ve got a lot of compassion for people. One of our biggest concerns is safety.”
As part of the environmental work for the new road project, an archeological dig is underway on the curve connecting Thornwood Drive and Reddington Road.
Morehead said the dig for Native American artifacts should not delay the project. He said there could be some tribal pottery or arrowheads there. Several tribes have been notified and their representatives will view the site Thursday morning.
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Cherry Valley Road bridge could reopen in February
