T-R PHOTO BY GARRY BRANDENBURG

A new creek bridge is taking shape over Minerva Creek. The old “green bridge” that used to be at this location had run out of time and capacity to withstand wide loads and flood waters. This new bridge is a continuous Concrete Slab design. Its deck surface was poured on Sept. 13 and used 522 cubic yards of concrete. Railings remain to be poured during the next month. There are five spans to this new bridge which is 30 feet wide and 232 feet long. Within the deck itself are 121,640 pounds of steel reinforcing to add strength to its 22-inch thick slab. To give you an idea of how heavy just the bridge concrete is, at 4,000 pounds per cubic yard, the total comes to 2,088,000 pounds! Water from Minerva Creek’s watershed above this bridge contains about 160 square miles. The watershed lies primarily westward and includes the communities of Minerva, Clemons, St. Anthony, and Zearing. The watershed has its headwaters in eastern Story County. During heavy rainfall events, Minerva Creek easily spills out of its banks onto its floodplain. Therefore, bridges need to have the capacity to accommodate maximum stream flows to remain safe.