COLUMBUS, OH The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) 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, Ohio.

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, dogleg beams, and superelevation.

Preliminary and final design will use LiDAR 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.