WATERVILLE, Ohio — The overnight closure of the Waterville Bridge keeps getting pushed back and the reason isn't just the rain but also the river.
Over six thousand square miles of land drain into this part of the Maumee River, which can cause it to surge through this area.
So even when it rains significantly as further away as in Fort Wayne, Indiana, like it did Monday night, it impacts the water levels in Northwest Ohio the next day.
"With a lot of the rain that we've been getting, the continuous rain, even jut an inch or two here, raises that water level, so unfortunately, it has flooded over our causeway so the crews can't get down to work on the bridge above them that they are building," Ohio Department of Transportation Spokesperson, Rebecca Dangelo said. "Right now, on the Wood County side, we just have one more bridge deck pour section to do, that's what's scheduled for Friday night. On the Lucas County side, the abutment and all the piers are poured but one."
Currently, the project is on time and on budget, but engineers are already working to find solutions to prevent any delays or mishaps since the bridge must be finished by this fall because of environmental restrictions.
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers keep a close watch on what a project like this does to the air, ground and water around it and how wildlife is affected. Therefore, federal agencies impose a lot of rules on when work can happen and restrictions on access to the water.
For example, the current causeway that is mostly underwater due to heavy rains cannot be moved or changed for another couple of months because of the water habitat.
Nonetheless, ODOT is proactively working with the contractor to get the work done.
"They are working longer hours and longer days and working through some weather that maybe normally we would be able to shut down and go home just to try and keep on track," Phil Senn, Area Engineer for ODOT said. "The river's been pretty challenging this spring and this winter and our environmental commitments do not allow us to extend this project, so we have to get done."
The current bridge, just three feet away from the new one, will be taken down piece by piece next year.
At no point will access to the river be closed off completely.
Although the next overnight closure to pour the bridge deck is currently scheduled for Friday, May 3, that could be pushed back yet again depending on the weather. Concrete needs dry time to set and crews have to be able to access the new structures from underneath as well.
Finally, there will also be more overnight closures to come and a weekend closure in the fall before the new bridge is operational.