High Water Marks and Surviving Historic Floods - Deshler’s South Pine Street Bridge

When designing a bridge, there are many details that demand a careful examination, one of those being the high-water mark. This important detail keeps the bridge safe for travelers in the event of historic floods. Inversely, using extra materials to raise a bridge beyond what is necessary would be a misappropriation of infrastructure budget funds. It’s a tedious balance to achieve, but after experiencing such dramatic water levels during the construction of the bridge, it’s safe to say that the Village of Deshler and DGL Consulting Engineers, LLC (DGL) struck the proper balance.   

The Village of Deshler was established in 1876 and is to this day it resembles what many picture when they imagine an American town. Deshler is home to several bridges, one of which resides on South Pine Street, helping traffic over Brush Creek, a small river that flows through town.

Beginning in 2014, DGL was contracted to keep a watchful eye on the South Pine Street bridge and monitor the state of its decline. The original bridge was built in 1945 and has served the community well, but after 77 years of use, the bridge was reaching the end of its lifespan. After 5 years of monitoring and extensive inspection, it was concluded that while the bridge was perfectly safe for the time being, a new bridge would have to be designed and constructed in the near future. DGL’s inspectors and structural engineers determined the original bridge’s barriers, concrete deck, and abutments were failing.

Once it had been determined that restoration of the original bridge was not a practical option, the project’s design phase began.

Working closely with Deshler Officials, the construction and future maintenance costs, as well as the durability of the replacement structure were carefully considered during the design phase. In addition, the project team desired to increase pedestrian safety by incorporating a raised walkway across the bridge.

It was decided that a three-sided precast concrete flat top structure would be constructed. This type of structure uses precast concrete joined together to form the main span that supports traffic. The strategy accelerates the construction phase, while reducing costs. These particular sections were cast by Encore Precast LLC in Seven Mile, Ohio and trucked to Deshler for installation.

Just before the final phase of construction been completed, The Village of Deshler endured extreme rains and flooding. Water approached the level that DGL’s engineers anticipated, nearing the bridge deck, but never exceeded the predicted high-water mark. Had the bridge been operational during the rain event, the high water would not have impeded the traffic’s ability to safely cross Brush Creek on South Pine Street. It’s a testament to the accuracy of modern technology and the skill of experienced engineers. 

A camera placed onsite by the Village captured the rain event and high water experienced during the construction process.

For more information on DGL designed bridge projects visit our transportation portfolio.