The nearly 90-year-old bridge carrying Anderson Avenue over Kitten Creek on the East edge of Keats was narrow, in poor condition and had become a maintenance headache for Riley County. They contracted BG Consultants to study alternatives for not only the replacement structure, but for detours or construction phasing alternatives to maintain access to Keats. BG developed alternatives and associated cost estimates, presented them at a public meeting, and then collected public comments to review with the county. A shoo-fly detour was ultimately selected as it maintained 2-way access between Keats and Manhattan throughout construction. 

The replacement bridge was a 36’-48’-36’ Haunched Slab with a 36’ roadway skewed to better align with Kitten Creek. An aggregate surfaced shoo-fly detour was designed to utilize a portion of a local street in Keats. Additionally, BG assisted Riley County with Right-of-Way and Easement acquisitions, coordinating utility relocations and secured necessary permits.