“Between July 25th and July 30th, 2022, several complexes of thunderstorms developed south of I-64 and brought heavy rain, deadly flash flooding, and devastating river flooding to eastern Kentucky and central Appalachia. These historic thunderstorms, at times, caused rainfall rates in excess of 4″ per hour across complex terrain that led to widespread devastating impacts. While it did not rain continuously during this 4-day stretch, the overwhelming amounts of rain and resultant flooding led to 39 deaths, 13 flood-ravaged counties, 16,000 households applying for Federal aid, and widespread catastrophic damage. Entire homes, roads, bridges and parts of some communities were swept away by flood waters, leading to costly damage to infrastructure in the region. The rainfall totals observed between these dates across eastern Kentucky were over 600% of normal.”
– Weather.gov
Haydon Bridge Company staff visited the area as soon as the rain stopped to survey the damage to volunteer our highway and bridge construction expertise, and to help our fellow Kentuckians in any way we could. We did not visit for any other reason, other than to find out how we can assist in the planning stages of the rebuilding of these flood-ravaged communities, including restoring access on vital roads, bridges and highways.
First of all, our team was absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of damage and hearts and prayers went to the families who lost loved ones, homes and all of their belongings.
“Some local reports say that 11 inches of water fell in just four hours, causing creeks that are usually no more than 1-2 feet deep to become raging rivers. And to see the devastation up close was beyond anything any of us could imagine. Each bucket of debris our excavation equipment lifted up was literally another room of a home. From toys to clothes to kitchenware and furniture, we saw people’s entire lives washed away along with the flood water.”
– Marshall Haydon
Second, we were amazed and gladdened to see the various organizations and county, state and federal government come together to tackle the extensive amount of work ahead. FEMA, American Red Cross, Kentucky Emergency Management, and local and regional volunteers went to work immediately in recovery and rescue, to provide medical care and basic supplies, including adequate shelter. As of November, more than $164 million in grants, federal, commonwealth and local agencies continues to assist survivors of the Eastern Kentucky flooding. We applaud all the efforts that were made and continue to be offered to families in need.
We were contracted to complete reconstruction of four bridges soon after the flooding rain, and it was approved under an emergency contract to ensure there was no delay on start time. On the Friday of the week of the storm, we met with the state-selected engineering firm to go over the quickest way to replace the bridges. As a team, we chose the most expeditious and cost effective method to replace the structures while still meeting all of the design requirements. Some of those methods are listed below:
- Predrilling the piling
- Leave and/or utilizing existing parts of the bridge abutments*
- Utilize different superstructure materials to accommodate the site constraints.
And just days after the flooding, we brought in our excavation equipment and began to remove debris. Once the area was cleared, we installed a water diversion and temporary river crossing made with quarry rock to allow residents to access their homes again. We worked fast but also with a high priority on safety and quality workmanship.
One neighbor whose home was affected by the flooding observed, “I cannot believe you’re already getting to this. I thought it would take months to be able to cross this creek. Keep at it, hell yeah!”
It was a privilege to to work with some of the area’s finest engineering and construction firms who were hired to replace over 100 bridges that were damaged during the flooding. We feel blessed we had a small part in helping our Eastern Kentucky neighbors get back on their feet and return to normal life. Haydon Bridge is proud to say that we were able to complete the 1st Emergency Bridge Replacement in Perry Co., KY. We would like to thank the Haydon Bridge Team Members who contributed to this milestone achievement. The recovery effort in Eastern KY would not be possible without collaboration between the KYTC, KY Bridge Program GEC Team and Contractors.
These are the four bridges we were contracted to re-build in the impacted area:
Swan Court over Troublesome Creek Bridge:
The First Emergency Bridge Replacement has been opened. This 80’ bridge needed complete reconstruction once the debris field was cleared and the rising waters were diverted. We would like to thank the KYTC for leading this effort along with QK4 Engineering for their efficient design of this structure.
Tunnel Mill Road Bridge:
Another Emergency Bridge in Eastern KY replaced by our team following the catastrophic flooding earlier this year. We are proud of our team’s effort to expedite this work to restore access for their fellow citizens.
Hays Lane Bridge:
Yet another Emergency bridge in Eastern KY completed by our crew to help those impacted by the disastrous flooding event. This bridge site was labeled as “Hog’s Holler” which posed no match for our hard-working crew members, who overcame many acute challenges while working on this structure.
Tom’s Branch over Troublesome Creek:
HBC’s most recent Emergency Bridge Replacement in Perry County KY. Our Team completed this structure in December. We appreciate the hard work of the folks who were not only involved in this structure, but all the efforts to expedite the recovery for those affected by the flooding in Eastern KY.
GLOSSARY:
*Abutment: An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end which provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls to resist lateral movement of the earthen fill of the bridge approach.
