Creating Bridges for Posey County

Located in Posey County, about 25 miles northwest of Evansville, Harmonie State Park is known for its pristine landscape with camping and cabin amenities.

“This is a trail lover’s paradise”, according to the DNR website. “Trails for walking, biking, mountain biking, and nature hikes will lure you for a visit”. However, two pedestrian bridges were in desperate need of rebuilding.

While F.A. Wilhelm is not known for constructing bridges, a Job Order Contract (JOC) with the DNR presented an opportunity to rebuild a singletrack wood construction bridge and a prefabricated steel bridge in the State Park. Additionally, both bridges also
needed new concrete foundations. However, this project came with its own set of challenges. For starters, the closest gravel road was 800 ft. from the construction site of the wood bridge and then there was the 100 ft. elevation to contend with.

According to Superintendent Bill Jackson, the grounds needed to be cleared so a sled could be utilized to transport four skids of bagged concrete just to pour the concrete foundation. “Nothing we did on the trails was inherently safe. We had to think through and then re-think every step we took and make it safe. Especially getting tools and materials down a muddy hill sloping up to 60 degrees,” said Jackson. Adding to the challenges, the weather did not cooperate. The site received 20 inches of rain with 5-and-a-half-inch downpour in a 3-hour interval, raising creek levels from 6 inches to over 10 feet resulting in delaying the three-week project to five weeks.

For those wanting to see the completed bridges and enjoy a hike in pristine landscape, the steel bridge is located on Trail #2 in the southwest area of the park. The single-track wooden construction bridge is located in the south portion of the park on Trail #1. To learn more, visit in.gov/dnr/.