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Bridge
Builders Advocate Chapter II:
1913
Flood
By the 1880s,
iron truss bridges were being built along the Olentangy and Scioto Rivers. These
structures, despite their load bearing strength, were prone to high water damage
that reached a crisis point with the historic flood of
1913.
From March
23rd through the 27th, heavy rains and melting snow caused the rivers to rise 22 feet above flood
stage. The deluge killed 96 county residents, left more than 20,000 homeless,
and destroyed bridges at Broad Street, State Street, and Town Street.
One of the
crossings to survive the flood was a new earth-filled concrete arch bridge being
built over the Olentangy River at King Avenue. The survival of the reinforced
concrete brought about dramatic changes in bridge engineering that lead to the
eventual building of “flood proof” bridges throughout Franklin County.
Next Chapter:
European
Grandeur
Bridge
Builders Advocate Index
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