Admiral T.J. Lopez Bridge

Inspection and load rating of this fracture critical structure by TRC helps ensure the continued safety of West Virginia motorists.

TRC was selected to provide the inspection of this bridge under the State’s Six Year Bridge Inspection Program. The bridge spans US Route 60, the Kanawha River, WV Route 61 (WV 61) and County Route 72 (CR 72) and is comprised of two approach spans and a main river span. The north approach is comprised of six continuous welded steel plate girder spans and one simple plate girder span. The river crossing is comprised of a three span continuous thru truss, while the south approach is made up of two continuous welded steel plate girder spans for a total structure length of 2,223’–4”. The river crossing has a horizontal deck clearance of 61’-9”. The structure has two fracture critical cross girders and numerous fatigue prone details. TRC staff performed a comprehensive hands-on inspection of all components, members and connections above the ground line/water line which included substructure units. All fracture critical members and fatigue prone details were identified and particular attention was given to these areas during the inspection to detect if any cracking or fractures may have developed. The inspection team then provided recommendations, where appropriate, for any additional non-destructive testing, special studies or more frequent inspections.

Using the truss member forces supplied by the Division, TRC was additionally tasked with performing a gusset plate load rating analysis for each main member gusset plate. LUSAS was used to perform the structural analysis, while proprietary in-house spreadsheets were used to perform the gusset plate analysis. Load Factor Method for AASHTO HS Loading and the WV SU45 Truck was utilized.

Client

West Virginia Department of Transportation, Division of Highways

Project Location

Kanawha County, WV