New Bridge Design TDOT
Lift station
Utilities Restrictions
Profile view of proposed new bridge (looking north)
 east
west
current sewer grade
new sewer grade
Current bridge design standards use concrete columns with “hammer-head” tops (see schematic view of the new Rotherwood bridge above) to support the bridge decking instead of the steel trusses.  As a result, TDOT’s engineers have advised the City that the new bridge will not provide the same structure to hang the utility pipes on at their current grade (noted in orange) and as a result the installation of the utilities will be restricted to immediately below the bridge decking (noted in yellow) at a much higher grade.

This information was provided to the City for the first time in November 2002 and as the City staff evaluated this restriction it became evident that a large sewer lift station (comparable in size to the lift station at the intersection of Netherland Inn Road and Ridgefields Road) would need to be constructed to push the wastewater up to the height of the new bridge decking.  As an alternative to a new lift station staff re-considered the option to keep the old bridge in place after the new bridge was constructed for continued use for utilities and pedestrians/bicyclists.