Speaking

Towering 876 feet over the New River Gorge in West Virginia, the New River Gorge Bridge is one of the highest vehicular bridges in the United States. It also is the longest steel arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere, with a main span of 1,700 feet. This presentation will include an overview of the bridge's history and configuration and then touch on the analysis and load rating of the bridge. Additionally, speakers will discuss the preparation of rehabilitation plans, execution of the rehab work and the ongoing monitoring of the repairs from the past eight years.

Completed in 2017, rehabilitation of the New River Gorge Bridge included steel repairs to the superstructure and substructure, along with refurbishment of the bridge bearings. Many preservation techniques will be reviewed, including steel strengthening repairs, concrete patches, joint replacements and deck patching. Innovative methods were used to prevent long-term wet conditions on this weathering steel structure, including magnetic bird screens, magnetic drip bars, HDPE capping, penetrant sealer and wax coating. The presentation will discuss the horizontal jacking operation used to reset four large roller bearings on top of steel bents at the intermediate joint locations. Attendees will also watch a video of the jacking procedures during the process. 

Rehabilitation project updates will be co-presented with WVDOT, followed by the bridge tour with a demonstration of our access techniques. This presentation will focus on the ongoing performance of the applied preservation techniques.