North Watervliet Bridge
Concrete bridge over Paw Paw Lake Inlet
Abonmarche was contacted by the Berrien County Road Commission to design and construct this single span structure. The original structure was an earth filled arch requiring special SHPO approvals before it could be removed. The environmental review uncovered an endangered species habitat at the bridge location. Abonmarche worked closely with the MDEQ to ensure the habitat of the endangered bat was not affected by the construction and that the construction phasing did not impact breeding patterns. In the end, the bridge was constructed on a super elevated roadway using pre-stressed concrete I-beams on concrete abutments. The location of the bridge near a residential area on very poor soils required that auger cast piling be utilized to eliminate potential vibration damage to nearby homes.