The Blennerhassett Arch - West Virginia
PDM Bridge was awarded the contract by Walsh Construction to supply structural steel for the Blennerhassett Arch Bridge in Parkersburg West Virginia, which, at the time of award, was the largest highway project ever awarded by the Virginia Department of Highways.
This major river crossing connects West Virginia and Ohio over the Ohio River and is the final contract in the Appalachian Corridor D project. The overall length of the bridge is 4,000 feet and a deck width of 100 feet. The tied-arch span over the river is 878 feet with a 175 rise, and provides a 76 foot clearance over the river below. The tied-arch design is unique in so much that a tied-arch is basically a highbred between the standard arch and a cable-stayed design making it very durable.
The steel plates that make up the tie girders are bolted rather than the traditional welded connection. The bolted connection prevents any crack that may form from spreading to adjacent plates, PDM drilled over 250,000 holes to accommodate all the bolts.
Interesting Facts:
- Tied-arch span of 878 feet!
- 175’ above the roadway traffic
- 76’ clearance for river traffic
- 12,000,000 pounds of weathered high performance structural steel was used.
- The tied-arch allowed the bridge to be constructed with fewer piers
- PDM Bridge drilled over 250,000 holes.
The Blennerhassett Arch is the longest tied-arch span bridge in the United States.
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