Vrooman Road Bridge

Lake County, Ohio

Vrooman Road is a county road that provides critical connection in Lake County, Ohio, with dedicated exit and entrance ramps to Interstate 90. The previous Vrooman Road Bridge over the Grand River was a replacement built in 1952 and rehabilitated in 1980, but by 2002, the bridge had been deemed structurally deficient and functionally obsolete. With tricky geography, steep grades and sharp curves, the original road and bridge were not conducive for any vehicle but cars to use. The crossings had been closed numerous times due to damage from larger vehicles and frequent flooding. Additionally, the roadway approaches to the bridge were characterized by numerous geometric deficiencies, which can be directly linked to high accident rates at various points along the roadway. By 2018, the time had come to address the bridge’s problematic aspects.  

The Lake County Engineer’s Office (LCEO) engaged Michael Baker for final roadway design (roadway geometric, maintenance of traffic, traffic control, drainage); final structure design (grid and 3D analysis of the curved superstructure; evaluation of exterior girder behavior under construction loading; structural analysis and design; geotechnical engineering and evaluation) and environmental investigations.

The project constructed a new high-level bridge across the Grand River Valley, improved several intersections with Vrooman Road and reconstructed Vrooman Road. The new bridge is located on a new alignment within the Lake Metroparks’ Indian Point and Masons Landing Parks and is a six-span, 1800’ long, continuous, composite steel girder bridge in horizontally curved alignment. The structure is supported by cast in place, reinforced concrete substructure units founded on drilled shafts anchored in bedrock. The project also included the design and construction of a pedestrian footbridge in Masons Landing Park, fostering positive public perception as there is even greater connectivity within the park for visitors to explore and enjoy. Aesthetic enhancements for the Vrooman Road Bridge were developed in conjunction with Native American artists to reflect the bridge’s proximity to historic migration routes, camp sites and burial grounds and includes design features that pay homage to local Native American communities.

The new crossing is much safer than its previous iteration, greatly benefitting the traveling public. The structure, roadways and approach roadways are now built to current standards. The Vrooman Road Bridge project replaced the aging bridge, enhanced public safety with better intersection geometry, provided better alignments for travel in snowy and icy conditions and eliminated flood hazard.