RETTEW
3020 Columbia Ave.
Lancaster PA 17603
Holly White
Communication Specialist
717-394-3721, hwhite@rettew.com
PRESS RELEASE
To: Associations and media outlets
From: RETTEW Associates Inc.
Date: April 25, 2014
Subject: Siegrist’s Mill Covered Bridge project wins design award
The Association for Bridge Construction and Design’s (ABCD) Susquehanna Chapter this week chose
RETTEW’s Siegrist’s Mill Covered Bridge restoration project for its Outstanding Context Sensitive
Solution Bridge Design Award. The award recognizes projects that exemplify superb technical merit,
constructability, innovation and aesthetics.
Siegrist’s Mill Covered Bridge is among the oldest of 20 Lancaster County-owned covered wooden
bridges and was originally built in 1885. In September of 2011 floodwaters from Tropical Storm Lee
ripped the historic treasure from its foundation and into Chiques Creek, causing extensive damage to
the original structure.
RETTEW both designed and managed the complete reconstruction of the bridge using the same
authentic 19th-century architectural techniques that were used in the original structure while
preserving 15 percent of the original material. The team, which also included Bulldog Construction Co.
Inc., and Lancaster County Timber Frames Inc., completed the rebuild in less than two years.
The project won the context-sensitive award because of its specific set of challenges, including
discovering the genuine design and recycling as much timber as possible. RETTEW also raised the bridge
by two feet to mitigate future flooding damage, and in replacing some of the bridge’s abutments, the
company specified a real stone masonry façade to reflect the architecture of the originating time period.
In clearing trees to salvage the bridge from the creek, a cedar-shake roofing system could be installed
with no fear of mold growth from shade, and the shakes are reminiscent of the tradition of covered
bridges in Lancaster County.
RETTEW
3020 Columbia Ave.
Lancaster PA 17603
Holly White
Communication Specialist
717-394-3721, hwhite@rettew.com
“We are truly grateful to have had the opportunity to restore such a historic landmark back to its
original glory, and to work with everyone who was involved with the project,” said Dave Hoglund,
RETTEW’s project manager. “This award is the result of a job well done by many, and we are honored to
have been a part of this community effort.”
The ABCD annually awards one deserving project in each of four distinct categories to showcase the best
achievements in the local bridge building and design industry. The organization encourages the science
of bridge design and construction and provides an open forum for local industry members to exchange
new ideas and develop innovative techniques.
RETTEW, ranked on Engineering News-Record’s 2014 list of top 500 design firms, began providing civil
engineering and surveying services in 1969. Today RETTEW has close to 350 employees and nine offices
located in Athens, Lancaster, Lehigh Valley, Mechanicsburg, Pittsburgh and Williamsport, P.A.; Canton,
Ohio; Delhi, N.Y.; and Denver, Colo. For more information on any of RETTEW’s services, please call 1800-RETTEW-5 (1-800-738-8395) or visit www.rettew.com.
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