Two small bridges in West Cocalico Township, one over Little Cocalico Creek and one over a tributary to Cocalico Creek, were deteriorating and needed repairs. Horseshoe Trail Road Bridge was previously closed because of collapsed abutments, and Mill Road Bridge was restricted by a steel plate over a portion of the failed deck. These failing bridges created a hazard and inconvenience to residents traveling these roads.

As the Township’s engineer, RETTEW had successfully rehabilitated another bridge in the township. We provided in-house services for all phases of these bridge projects. At Mill Road, the presence of wetlands and potential bog turtle habitats adjacent to the bridge presented scheduling challenges and placed restrictions on construction. RETTEW resolved these issues by coordinating extensively with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and by designing a precast box culvert with a geometry that minimized impacts to the wetlands. At Horseshoe Trail Road, erosion was a problem and the Township wanted to increase the bridge opening to accommodate greater water flow. We addressed these matters with a precast box culvert design that maximized the opening while meeting PA DEP General Permit 11 requirements to minimize increases to stream velocities, and by adding rock protection to the embankments to protect against future erosion. These projects provided the community with safe bridges and eliminated road restrictions. RETTEW delivered on our commitment to provide the Township and its residents quality projects that will serve the community well into the future.