2008 BX Craftsmanship
Award Recipient

Since 1964, the BX Craftsmanship Awards Program has recognized the importance of craftspeople for the quality work they provide to the construction industry.

Joe Mendenhall’s attention to detail is showcased in a new wooden covered bridge over the Big Darby Creek on North Lewisburg Road in Union County.

The project required moving an existing one-lane covered bridge to another site; allowing for alignment of the roadway and construction of the new two-lane covered bridge by Mendenhall and his crew of eight.

The bridge is 135-feet long and 28-feet high, and features enormous glulam floor beams and pre-assembled floor sections.  The weight of the flooring system, in wood alone, is over 210,000 pounds.  The construction process required the addition of a two and a half inch camber to ensure that when the temporary shoring was removed, the bridge would settle properly.

While several parts of the bridge were pre-fabricated, Mendenall relied on his years of experience to ensure that each piece was installed correctly on site, resulting in one of the largest single span covered bridges of its type in Ohio.

Mendenhall has been employed by The Righter Co., Inc. for 20 of his 29 years in the trade.

A first-time Craftsmanship Award winner, Mendenhall has worked on numerous bridge projects throughout Ohio. This was the first covered bridge he worked on from start to finish.

Updated 9/16/2008