Blennerhassett Bridge (US 50)
The Blennerhassett Bridge carries U.S. Route 50 (Appalachian Corridor D) across the Ohio River, connecting Belpre, Ohio to Parkersburg, West Virginia. It is distinctive for its tied-arch design and for its graceful crossing over Blennerhassett Island.Appalachian Corridor D, noted as one of the original 23 Appalachian Development Highway System routes in 1965, was planned to connect Interstate 275 east of Cincinnati to Interstate 79 at Clarksburg.(1)(6) The first contact in West Virginia was for four-lane upgrading of US 50 in Doddridge County, and was completed in 1967. The last segment between Interstate 77 and 79 was the eastern fringe of the Clarksburg Expressway, completed in 1978. But the ten-mile Parkersburg segment between the completed portions of Corridor D in Ohio and Interstate 77 remained undecided for two decades due to environmental, historic and funding issues.(9)
Most of these issues revolved around the Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park.(9) At its centerpoint is an old mansion built by Harmon Blennerhassett and visited several times by Aaron Burr. The mansion was burned by the Virginia militia after the collapse of Burr's conspiracy The mansion was recreated on the upper end of the island.
While planners had decided upon mitigating the impact on wetlands, mussels and migratory birds, the initial environmental impact study (EIS) stated that no piers could touch the island.(9) At the minimum, a new bridge wold need to span both channels of the Ohio River and Blennerhassett Island, requiring a span of at least 4,000-feet. The design was also required to incorporate a low profile, so that it would be difficult to see from the new mansion site, approximately 1.5-miles upstream, and to have a paint scheme that would blend into the surrounding area.
In 1991, Senator Robert C. Byrd obtained funding for preliminary work on the Parkersburg bypass, which included an Ohio River crossing.(1) Eight years later, the Federal Highway Administration approved a Record of Decision, allowing design for an Ohio River crossing to proceed and complete the last segment of Corridor D.
The Michael Baker Jr., Inc. was the primary architect of the span, and hired the E.L. Robinson Engineering Company to assist in designing the bridge, and to survey the area around Blennerhassett Island.(2)(5)
Four designs were considered for the lengthy Ohio River crossing, including a suspension bridge and a span-steel-tied arch with inclined cable-stays.(7) The suspension alternative was projected to cost $70 million, although it soon bloomed to more than $140 million,(9) while the tied arch had an estimated price of $120 million.(5) The tied arch was also projected to be faster to complete, shaving one year off of the construction schedule.(7)
The tied arch design (5) was chosen as it was the most economical and least intrusive on the historic Blennerhassett Island.(1)(3)
In 2000, WVDOH began work on the Parkersburg bypass.(1)
On March 30, 2005, the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) awarded a contract to construct the Blennerhassett Bridge.(1) The $135 million contract, awarded to Walsh Construction Company of Chicago, was the most expensive single contract in WVDOH's history.(4)(9) The contract called for more than 14,705 tons of structural steel, with the steel being divided into three segments:
PDM Bridge was awarded the contract by Walsh to supply the structural steel.(8)
Planned were eleven piers to support the superstructure.(9) Seventy-five drilled caissons provided the foundations for ten of the eleven piers and one abutment. The caissons, with a diameter from 54- to 108-inches, were drilled with polymer slurry to help control the silty soil. The other pier and abutment used traditional driven-steel piling.
For financing, WVDOH paid 65% of the cost from accumulated amounts left in various senate appropriation bills by Senator Byrd, while the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) provided the remaining 40%.(1) The costs were then shared with the standard 80%-20% Appalachian Corridor highway financing.
In April 2008, crews applied the latex modified concrete overlay on the bridge deck, completed painting, asphalt work and guardrail construction.(6)
The Blennerhassett Bridge opened to traffic on June 13,(6) although it was scheduled to be opened on August 14, 2007.(9) The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin, Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox and other West Virginia officials, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and other Ohio officials.(6)
The bridge is 76-feet above the Ohio River (8) and features 2,633 feet of approach spans on the West Virginia side, an 880-foot main span and 495-feet of approach spans on the Ohio side for a total length of 4,008 feet.(1)(4)(5) The tied arch rises 175-feet at its mid-point.(8) It is the largest bridge of its type in the United States.(5)(6) The Cor-ten steel bridge carries four-lanes of traffic and full left and right shoulders.
Sources
1. "Blennerhassatt." West Virginia Department of Transportation. N.p., 2009. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. Article.
2. "Blennerhasset Island Bridge." E.L. Robinson. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. Article.
3. Wollmann, Gregor, Theodore Zoli, and J. Shook. "Design of Tied Arch Bridge Across Ohio River and Blennerhassett Island." 22nd Annual International Bridge Conference. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 13 - 15, 2005. Pittsburgh: n.p., 2005. N. pag. Print.
4. Wollmann, Gregor, and Theodore Zoli. "Bridge Across Ohio River and Blennerhassett Island." Structural Engineering International 18.1 (2008): n. pag. Print.
5. "Blennerhasset Bridge." Walsh Construction. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. Article.
6. Dunlap, Brett. "Blennerhassett Bridge set to open June 13." News and Sentinel. N.p., 7 May 2008. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. Article.
7. "DOT officials tour Blennerhassett Island Bridge project." Roads & Bridges. N.p., 21 July 2004. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. Article.
8. "The Blennerhassett Arch - West Virginia." PDM Bridge. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. Article.
9. Deneault, Joe. "Bridging the Past." Modern Steel Construction Jan. 2007: n. pag. Print.
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