Westbrook Park Pedestrian Bridge | Projects Origin Design

Delivering a solution to a flooding problem while creating a connection between trails.

To provide a more reliable connection between the Skeffington Memorial Trail and the Silver Creek Trail in DeWitt, the City hired Origin Design to provide design and survey services for a new 10’ wide pedestrian bridge over Silver Creek. The previous bridge was plagued by frequent flooding.

The preliminary bridge design required several layouts to balance trail design standards and hydraulic efficiency. The bridge was set in a location that took advantage of the natural topography to reduce the size of the bridge, saving the City money and lessening the impact on the surroundings, including saving several trees.

project overview

Due to the relatively short project development period, and regulatory agency backlog, this project required closer coordination with regulatory agencies than most projects. Because of that close coordination, construction started on time to protect a time-sensitive funding source.

During construction, Silver Creek flooded—the flooding actually put some suspicions to rest. Given the existing wooden bridge was constructed so far under the 100-year flood elevation and the bottom of the new bridge was so much higher than the top of the old bridge, some questioned the chosen design, but the flooding proved that the design was appropriate.

Installation of the bridge also improved a relatively steep section of the existing trail. By tying in uphill of the existing trail, the steep section was shortened and essentially eliminated overall. This was well-received by parents in the community with safety concerns for their children.

Origin Design delivered the solution the City of DeWitt was looking for and in doing so positively impacted the community.

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