First constructed in 1929, the concrete slab bridge over the Tributary to Westfield Creek in the Village of Westfield had greatly deteriorated and was in need of replacement, no longer positioned with the current stream alignment and requiring ongoing monitoring and maintenance.

MSA designed a solution slightly larger than the former bridge — a new concrete slab structure measuring 26 feet in length with 6-foot-high abutments and a 15-degree skew. The slight repositioning of the bridge was done to match the existing streambank geometry, which minimizes potential scour, improves creek flow, and reduces the need for future maintenance. The project included the removal of a prior deteriorating stacked stone wall and tubular railing along the west side of North Main Street, which has been re-graded to slope behind the new street curb and gutter, eliminating the need for the wall entirely.

To address streambank erosion and the need for improved stabilization, MSA utilized rectangular limestone cut-stone boulders stacked in an offset pattern on the eastern downstream side of the bridge to build resiliency in a more cost-effective manner than via a traditional retaining wall. The stones were stacked with a slope to match the riprap slope beneath the bridge while also transitioning to a vertical angle to seamlessly integrate into an adjacent masonry wall.

The project also needed to integrate new storm sewer elements with those of a nearby, concurrent street reconstruction project on North Main Street. The bridge replacement and corresponding utility, sidewalk, roadway, and finishing work was constructed during the same season as the separate street project — requiring close coordination, construction staging, and a compatible traffic control plan to minimize disruptions to local traffic, landowners, and the needs of emergency response and utility vehicles.

The North Main Street Bridge replacement project successfully replaced a 94-year-old bridge under a tight schedule and urban constraints to deliver a safe, new, and aesthetically pleasing structure as funded through the WisDOT Local Program. The project was selected to receive the WisDOT 2024 Excellence in Highway Design Award in the Best Structure by a Consultant category.