Bridge builders take environmentally friendly steps

The finished span will have chemical spill precautions.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- Those floating yellow objects in the Meander Reservoir that resemble blow-up water wings or floaties children wear in swimming pools are actually an environmental precautionary measure.
"They're silt booms," said Jennifer Richmond, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Transportation's District 4. "They're a precautionary measure to collect anything that we stir up when we're working in the reservoir."
The containment objects are in place as part of the $86 million project to replace the Interstate 80 twin bridges over Meander Reservoir. Work started in April with completion expected in fall 2009.
Anthony Allega of Valley View, Ohio, and Great Lakes Construction of Hinckley are the contractors.
Richmond said that booms would remain in place as long as work continues in the reservoir.
The floating portion of the device is attached to a curtainlike element to capture anything that might spill into the water. The containment portion extends about 1.5 feet deep into the reservoir, Richmond said.
It's then weighted to the bottom of the reservoir.
Other safety measures
Tom Holloway, chief engineer of the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District, said the booms are only the latest step taken by the contractors to protect the reservoir. The district provides water from Meander Reservoir to 300,000 customers through member cities Youngstown and Niles.
"A storm-water protection plan had to be enacted and approved by the Ohio EPA and by ODOT," he said.
That plan includes provisions such as silt fences to keep sediment out of streams and therefore out the reservoir and keep erosion at a minimum.
A fuel filling station installed near the water for construction equipment is double-walled and includes spill containment components, he said.
The equipment working at the project also uses a vegetable oil as a lubricant rather than the customary hydraulic lubricant as further caution, Holloway said.
ODOT has pledged to maintain two lanes of traffic throughout the project.
Each bridge will be 2,500 feet long and three lanes wide when finished.
Construction process
The first phase involves construction of the eastbound bridge south of the current bridges so that traffic may be maintained in both directions.
When that portion finishes, both eastbound and westbound traffic will be directed across the new eastbound span while the westbound bridge is built.
The new bridges will be wider than the structures they replace, with a 10-foot shoulder on one side of each bridge and a 12-foot shoulder on the other side.
A gated 750-foot access road from Turner Road to Interstate 80, added to address concerns expressed by Austintown Fire Chief Andrew Frost, will allow safety forces to reach the interstate quickly during an emergency.
Also included in the plan is a staging area for emergency vehicles at one end of the bridge and a chemical spill containment system along the sides.
The spill containment includes controlled drainage where any chemicals spilled would drain into a ditch, and emergency crews would have a 30-minute window to contain it before it filters into the reservoir.