00183790

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http://onlinepubs.trb.org...r/1978/665v2/665v2-017.pdf

https://scholar.google.co...Cain&publication_year=1978

The world's longest steel arch bridge, spanning the New River Gorge in West Virginia, was opened to traffic on October 22, 1977. The overall length of the structure is 923.6 m (3,030 feet), with the main arch spanning a distance of 518.2 m (1,700 feet). During the preliminary design stages, various bridge types were considered. The final decision to build a steel arch was based on a combination of cost and aesthetic considerations. By using a high-strength, corrosion-resistant steel, the weight of the structure was kept to a minimum with the added benefit of maintenance-free steelwork blending with the surrounding rugged terrain. Surface conditions in the coal mining region presented problems during foundation design. Special methods were employed to provide for subsurface stabilization where support bents were located in the proximity of mined-out areas. The computer was a major tool in both the design and erection of the bridge. The computer made it possible to determine the most economical configuration for the main arch, and it was used to study many complicated loading and erecting conditions. Erection of the steelwork presented a tremendous challenge. The height of the structure, 267 m (876 feet) above the river, and the heavy member weights dictated the use of a twin 1,067-m (3,500-foot)-cableway system. Construction of the arch across the gorge proceeded from both sides simultaneously utilizing the unique tieback system to support the cantilevered arch truss halves. The 34-million-dollar structure will be a major link in West Virginia's Appalachian Corridor "L" Expressway System. /Author/

This paper appeared in Transportation Research Record No. 665, Bridge Engineering, Volume 2. Proceeding of a conference conducted by the Transportation Research Board, September 25-27, 1978.Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved

01489599

pp 140-145

1978

Transportation Research Record

Bridge Engineering Conference, 1st, 1978, St Louis, Missouri, USA

0309026970

Print

Figures (9)

Arch bridges; Bridge design; Bridge superstructures; Bridges; Construction management; Corrosion resistance; Foundations; Information processing; Metal bridges; Soil stabilization; Steel bridges; Structural design

New River Gorge Bridge

Bridge spans; Stabilization

West Virginia

Bridges and other structures; Construction; Geotechnology; Highways

TRIS, TRB

Dec 12 1978 12:00AM

• A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF THE WAVE EQUATION
• AERODYNAMIC STABILITY OF TWO CABLE-STAYED BRIDGES
• ANALYSIS AND TESTING OF A TRAPEZOIDAL BOX GIRDER BRIDGE
• APPLICATION AND DESIGN OF PRESTRESSED DECK PANELS
• APPLICATION OF PREFABRICATED HOLLOW STEEL DECKS TO BRIDGE CONSTRUCTIONS
• CONCRETE CABLE-STAYED BRIDGES
• CONSIDERATIONS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN EARLY WARNING VESSEL/BRIDGE COLLISION SYSTEM
• CURRENT PRACTICE IN DESIGN AND INSTALLATION OF DRIVEN PILES
• DEVELOPMENT OF A SIMPLIFIED METHOD OF LATERAL LOAD DISTRIBUTION FOR BRIDGE SUPERSTRUCTURES
• DYNAMIC RESPONSE OF A SINGLE TRACK RAILWAY TRUSS BRIDGE
• DYNAMIC RESPONSE OF BRIDGES
• ECONOMICAL STRUCTURES FOR LOW-VOLUME ROADS
• FATIGUE TESTS OF PRESTRESSED GIRDERS WITH BLANKETED AND DRAPED STRANDS
• INCREASING THE SEISMIC RESISTANCE OF EXISTING HIGHWAY BRIDGES
• LABORATORY AND FIELD STUDIES OF A PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE COMPOSED OF GLASS REINFORCED PLASTIC
• METHODS OF CALCULATION OF THE WIND-INDUCED RESPONSES OF SUSPENDED-SPAN BRIDGES
• MODEL STUDIES OF DOUBLE-CELL BOX GIRDER BRIDGE WITH INTERMEDIATE DIAPHRAGMS
• MULTIPLE SERVICE LEVEL BRIDGE RAILINGS--PERFORMANCE AND DESIGN CRITERIA
• PRACTICAL BRIDGE RETROFIT CONCEPTS TO REDUCE DAMAGE PRODUCED BY SEISMIC MOTIONS
• RECENT DEVELOPMENT OF CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES IN CONCRETE BRIDGES
• REDUCING THE RISK OF CATASTROPHIC BRIDGE FAILURES
• SEGMENTAL AND STAGE CONSTRUCTION OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BOX GIRDER BRIDGES
• SEGMENTAL BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION IN WESTERN EUROPE--IMPRESSIONS OF AN IRF STUDY TEAM
• STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS FOR THE MESSINA NARROWS BRIDGE
• SYSTEMS CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES FOR SHORT-SPAN CONCRETE BRIDGES
• TEST RESULTS FROM THE CONESTOGO RIVER BRIDGE
• THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ONTARIO HIGHWAY BRIDGE DESIGN CODE
• TRAFFIC LOADING OF LONG SPAN BRIDGES
• TRANSVERSE POST-TENSIONING OF LONGITUDINALLY LAMINATED TIMBER BRIDGE DECKS
• WEB STRESSES IN PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BRIDGE BEAMS HAVING DISCONTINUOUS TENDONS