As cities in our community expand, so does the need for connectivity. The Toms Bayou Bridge Replacement project in Okaloosa County, Fla., was an interesting yet challenging project that required some creative thinking to connect cities and communities.

DRMP provided structures, roadway, drainage, permitting, and surveying services for this $8.5 million construction project to replace the aged northbound bridge over Toms Bayou.

I believe our work on the Toms Bayou Bridge Replacement Project played a major role in DRMP winning the 2022 Florida Transportation Builders Association (FTBA) Best in Construction Awards in the Bridge Project of the Year category. By developing and coordinating unique ways to tackle this project, we were able to minimize our impact on traffic flow and the environment as well as shorten the project schedule.

Overcoming Obstacles

As mentioned, this project was challenging, and it required us to think outside the box to meet client requirements. Maintaining traffic flow during bridge construction presented a major challenge. The original project required the northbound bridge to be replaced while the southbound bridge remained.  A critical component involved maintaining four lanes of traffic flowing to the key entrance to Eglin Air Force Base, one of the largest and busiest military bases in the world.

Our team negotiated with Eglin to maintain three lanes of traffic by doing a unique maintenance of traffic (MOT) scheme. The MOT scheme would accommodate the peak traffic demands by allowing two lanes southbound and one northbound in the morning and vice versa in the afternoon.  The southbound bridge needed to be widened to accommodate this three-lane traffic pattern.  This scheme allowed us to save significant time and money since we did not need a temporary bridge.

During construction, we also faced a piling obstacle. During the pile driving efforts, the contractor hit remnant piling, which was an unforeseen condition. After discovering the location of the remnant piling, the project contractor, Scott Bridge, realized it was pieces of an old bridge from the late 1800s. After inspecting, Scott Bridge was able to determine areas that could be used for pile pining. Since these cleared areas were different than the proposed pile bent areas, DRMP worked with Scott Bridge to redesign the bridge spans to fit the field conditions. 

Bridge Partnership ‘Phenomenal’

The relationship we built with Scott Bridge during the duration of this project was nothing but phenomenal. We had a great working relationship by helping each other as well as understanding each other’s expertise to go above and beyond the client’s expectations. As the Project Manager, hearing the positive feedback from everyone whom we collaborated with was extremely gratifying because it reassured me of the benefits that came out of this partnership. DRMP winning the FTBA award gives the firm an opportunity to expand its services and partnerships in other markets.

This project has been a great example of innovation and strong partnerships that have a favorable effect on our cities and communities. I believe the key element in this project, beyond partnership, was as a team we understood the potential issues that could affect the success of the project. As an engineer, projects like the Toms Bayou Bridge Replacement make challenges worthwhile. Being able to see the final product makes me extremely proud and excited for what’s to come.