historic context of maryland highway bridges built between 1948 ...

Appendix DNotes From August 25, 2003 Interviews With Former J. E. Greiner Company Employeesregard to the cost of this project, so history ―shouldn‘t be too hard on them,‖ as it is not theirfault that the railroad would not make any concessions.Wise Avenue BridgeAlthough this bridge was built before Miller‘s time at Greiner, he was involved with one of itsrehabilitations efforts. ―Like every other bridge, it is outside in the air 24-7/365…and is subjectto freeze/thaw, wet/dry, and environmental destruction.‖ This bridge exhibited deterioration ofunderlying support piles; a rehabilitation of the caps was required due to the deterioration of theconcrete in water. In order to repair the piles, a ―coffer dam‖ had to be constructed around them,allowing the engineers to pump water out. This bridge required an ―extensive amount of work torepair.‖ Once a bridge is shut down, repairs on the mechanical portions of it are also possible.Chesapeake City Bridge―Greiner really wanted to work on this bridge,‖ though they were not awarded the contract.Liberty Reservoir BridgeThis bridge was actually constructed ―in the dry,‖ or before the water from the dam ―came up.‖The dam was built downstream and a big lake was created. The lake flooded several of the statehighways; now although those waters have receded, the ground is still ―mushy‖ from theirpresence. The main bridge over the reservoir was very striking to see before the water from thedam was released, as one could observe the massive piers. As the water flooded, ―less and lessof the piers‖ were visible, making the bridge appear very ordinary.Potomac-Type PiersMr. Miller also spoke with us about ―Potomac-type piers‖ that J. E. Greiner was responsible forinnovating. The piers, as their name implies, were originally used for bridge construction on thePotomac River. Over time these piers have been modified for use on the Woodrow WilsonBridge and as far away as San Francisco. J. E. Greiner determined the Potomac piers to be suchan asset to the profession that, rather than patenting them, he ―gave,‖ or donated, the design tothe engineering profession.\15-SEP-11\\ D-2