State Route 51 Concrete Arch Bridge over the Portage River

State Route 51 Concrete Arch Bridge over the Portage River. , The previous State Route 51 Bridge over the Portage River, built in 1926, was a two-lane highway bridge constructed of reinforced concrete. The three-span, closed spandrel, concrete arch bridge was 282 feet long and 36 feet wide. 98,000 pounds of reinforcement steel Was embedded into the concrete. Inner walls were coated with waterproofing material before being filled with compacted so if excavated near the site. A limestone outcropping in the riverbed at this crossing produces and shallow rapid and provided a solid foundation for the bridge. , The State Route 51 Bridge was designed by David Henry Overman during his first year working for the Ohio Department of Highway's Bridge Bureau. It featured aesthetic detailing which Overman became recognized for such as custom railings and concrete finishes. The bureau's highly-styled and large-scale bridge projects built between the early 1800's and the 1950's employed many laborers and often required the employment of specialized craftsmen. , The bridge was identified by the Ohio Department of Transportation in 1993 as worthy of consideration for historic recognition. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 as one of the earliest bridges designed by David Henry Overman. , Overman graduated in 1925 with a degree in Civil Engineering from the Ohio State University. He was at employee of the State of Ohio for more than four decades served as a civil engineer in the Navy Sea Bees during world war one, and retired in 1964 as Chief Bridge Engineer at the Ohio Department of Highways. , Overman's design excellence was the result of an integration of science, technology, and art. He had a craftsman's familiarity with construction materials, tools equipment and methods. He was a talented artist with a consuming desire to achieve beauty in Ohio's highway bridges. . This historical marker is in Elmore in Ottawa County Ohio