DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE WILLIAMSTOWN-MARIETTA BRIDGE

The Williamstown-Marietta Bridge, connection Williamstown, West Virginia and Marietta, Ohio carries WV 31 over the Ohio River. The original bridge, a multi-span thur-truss, became structurally and functionally obsolete and was closed to vehicular traffic on July 18, 1985. The original bridge was built in 1903 with the main span being a cantilever Thru Truss with a very short anchor span on the Ohio side. The eyebars in the tie-down on the anchor span were considered to be frature critical. In April of 1986, the Governor made a commitment to the Communities of Williamstown, West Virginia and Marietta, Ohio, that a new bridge would be designed and constructed to replace the old bridge. The old bridge was considered to be historic and, the existing tie-down on the Marietta side was located in a historic district. A bridge location study was conducted by the West Virginia Division of Highways in which 13 alternative bridge locations for a new bridge were investigated. The study yielded a perferred alternative that would be built at the same location as the existing bridge, and where possible, utilize the existing piers. Due to the historic nature of the bridge, the environmental process had to be finalized before final plan development could begin.During the alignment studies, out of the 13 alternatives looked at, the existing bridge location was preferred because of the tie-down points best served the transportation needs of the communities. There was also some concern that if the existing bridge was left in-place, and without any overseer as to maintenance, the bridge could ultimately deteriorate and present a hazard to shipping should it fail.

• Corporate Authors:

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Sothen, J E
• Conference:
  • 1993 AASHTO Annual Meeting Proceedings. Selected Committee Meeting Papers presented at the 79th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Detroit, Michigan
  • Date: 1993-10-25 to 1993-10-26
• Publication Date: 1993

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 93-96

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge construction; Bridge design; Bridge superstructures; Bridges; Cantilevers; Construction; Equipment replacement; Historic bridges; Reconstruction; Structural design; Structures; Truss bridges
• Uncontrolled Terms: Bridge spans
• Geographic Terms: Ohio River; West Virginia
• Old TRIS Terms: Replacements
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Design; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Planning and Forecasting; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls; I53: Construction of Bridges and Retaining Walls;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00752018
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 7 1998 12:00AM