WV - 9 over the Shenandoah River
Millvale, WV
Just an hour’s drive west from Washington, D.C., the WV 9 - Shenandoah River Bridge stands in aesthetic harmony with its surroundings. The project exists within a unique ecosystem: the scenic Shenandoah River valley with its steeply rising wooded hills, rolling farmland, quaint, historic towns and diverse wildlife habitat. Not surprisingly, the region has evolved into a desirable getaway from the frenzy of modern urban life.
The aesthetic and environmental value of this landscape dictated minimal piers in the river and minimal disturbance of the valley’s slopes. Those criteria resulted in a requirement for a bridge almost 200 feet above the river with main spans of 400 feet, 600 feet and 400 feet. The pure geometrical form of the angled supports means there are no piers on the wooded slopes over the whole 1400’ length of the river bridge.
The slim structural members make the bridge unusually transparent. The wooded slopes and skyscape beyond visually flow through the bridge as if it wasn’t there. The angled supports constitute an abstract three-dimensional form that is clearly set apart from the landscape. One can visualize the landscape as it was before the bridge arrived. In other words, the bridge lies lightly on the land.
In weak winter sunlight the weathering steel becomes closer in tone to the winter landscape. allowing the bridge to blend in even more.
The Vierendiehl bracing forms right-angled grids with the diagonals of the main supports. There is no visual competition as there would be with heavy diagonal bracing. The diagonals that are in the outer bays are light-weight angles, which are too narrow to visually compete with the main supports.
The stiffner patterns at the supports resemble Richard Serra sculptures, engaging for a lay person and engrossing for an engineer.
