KS Associates is working with Cleveland Metroparks to provide engineering services for the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail Bridge to Wendy Park, the final piece of major infrastructure needed to connect the west bank of the Cleveland Flats to the Lake Erie shoreline. KS Associates is the prime consultant for the project, serving as Project Manager on a team with engineering firms WPS | Parsons Brinckerhoff, NTH Consultants LTD, and RWDI Consulting Engineers and Scientists.
The bridge will connect to Cleveland Metroparks’ Wendy Park, located in the Whisky Island recreational area along Lake Erie. The bridge will commence at the South end of Whiskey Island, at the west end of the Willow Avenue Vertical Lift Bridge, which crosses a branch of the Cuyahoga River. The new 350-foot bridge will span Whiskey Island industrial properties and Norfolk Southern railroad tracks, providing the final connection between the Lake Erie Shore Line and the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail, which ties into the 85-mile historic Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail. When fully constructed, will Towpath Trail will provide pedestrians and cyclists with a 100-mile path from Lake Erie to New Philadelphia, Ohio.
The role of the KS project team is to design the bridge structure and approaches, helping to make the design intention of renowned bridge architect Miguel Rosales a reality.
KS Associates also provided surveying services for the project to create a basemap for design. In August 2015, the firm performed a survey utilizing 3D laser scanning technology. Laser scanning offered several advantages over conventional surveying by obtaining data without setting foot on active railroad property. In addition to improving safety, laser scanning eliminated the time-consuming and costly process of obtaining a railroad right-of-entry permit. Laser scanning also provided the design team with large amounts of detail about existing conditions, helping to accelerate the project schedule and enhance the design process.
