The Third Avenue Bridge

The Third Avenue Bridge. A Brief History. , In 1885 a steel Pratt truss first spanned the Olentangy River at Third Avenue. , After the 1913 flood, which destroyed many bridges in central Ohio, the undamaged truss was relocated to the London-Lancaster road over Little Walnut Creek. It remained in service until it was replaced in 1983., In 1917 construction of a new 388 foot four-span earth-filled reinforced concrete bridge was begun. Completed in 1918, this Wilbur J. Watson design was influenced by the 1908 report of the Columbus planning commission and the City Beautiful movement. The existing commemorative plaque is shown below., The current bridge, completed in 1998, consists of a two-span, precast, post-tensioned, concrete bulb tee girder structure with each span being 136 feet in length. Much of the architectural detailing of the old arch bridge has been translated into the new design., The new bridge, completed in 1998, was designed under the direction of the Franklin County Engineer, by Jones-Stuckey Ltd., of Columbus, in association with Stock and Stone architects. The contractor was C.J. Mahan Construction Co. of Grove City, Ohio., 1998, Third Avenue Bridge , Levi E. Douglass , Thos. E. Humphreys , Richard Sinclair , Chas. W. Miller , Walter Mulby , County commissioners , , H. Sage Valentine county auditor , John Peake county engineer , , Wilbur J. Watson W. P. Brown , consulting engineers- Cleveland , , C. C. Hurlbut resident engineer , Robert H. Evans and Co. contractor , 1919 ,