Minerva Creek Bridge Replacement

Minerva Creek Bridge Replacement

EOR provided cultural and natural resource services and worked with Calhoun-Burns and Assoc. and the Marshall County Engineer to complete the Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act consultation and compliance for the Minerva Creek Bridge Replacement project. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its unique engineering aspects, the Minerva Creek Bridge was in poor condition and in need of replacement. As the unique character of the bridge and its rural location did not lend itself to the typical mitigation strategy, EOR specialists developed an alternative mitigation program involving the Historic Structure Report for the Hoy Bridge which is on the Heart of Iowa Nature Trail and part of the American Discovery Trail.

The Historic Structure Report detailed the current condition of the bridge and made both short- and long-term recommendations for its protection, preservation, and rehabilitation. As part of the Section 106 consultation process, EOR collaborated with multiple federal, state, and local agencies to address interrelated issues involved with the project, including developing an alternative analysis and Determination of Effect document and assisting the federal agency with producing the Memorandum of Agreement detailing the mitigation plan. The team's expertise was particularly important in identifying a unique mitigation strategy that allowed the project to move forward while contributeing to the preservation and management of an important historic resource.