The Susquehanna Chapter of the Association for Bridge Construction and Design has awarded RETTEW a certificate in appreciation of the design of Mill No. 3 Bridge. The structure is located in West Lampeter Township, Lancaster County, over Mill Creek and known locally as Eckman Road Bridge. Presented in Harrisburg on Monday, April 27, the award is determined based on design merit and participation.

“We were honored to receive this certificate,” said David Hoglund, lead project engineer on the bridge. “The bridge team provided the most cost-effective, durable structure we could, and we’re happy to be recognized along with Lancaster County for the excellent work.”

The two-lane, nearly 90-foot-long bridge is a pre-stressed adjacent box-beam structure, with an architectural surface treatment that blends well with nearby scenery. The façade reflects stonework on nearby homes, and was included on the abutments as well as the interior and exterior of the parapets to stand out to motorists driving on the bridge. The county selected that recommended design option because of its low long-term maintenance costs and durability of about 100 years. Lancaster County dedicated funds from Pennsylvania’s Municipal Liquid Fuel Program to the effort, provided by PennDOT. The funding is allocated annually based on a designation per county-owned bridge; no county tax dollars were used for the project. Because of RETTEW’s in-house review of contractor bid documents, the final construction cost came in $18,456.04 under the bid price. After being closed in 2013 because of deteriorated stringers and floor beams, the bridge reopened in September 2014.

County Commissioners formally opened the bridge with a ribbon cutting in the fall of 2014, and were pleased with the success of the rebuilt structure.