A Management Plan for Historic Bridges in Virginia

About the report:

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has been a leader in undertaking research into transportation history and historic structures. In particular, surveys and evaluations for historic significance have been undertaken for many types of older bridges in Virginia. (In this context, historic significance and historic are used to denote structures that are eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.) VDOT, through the Virginia Transportation Research Council, has been proactive in identifying and determining the significance of its historic bridges: major thematic studies have been undertaken for non-arched concrete bridges, metal truss bridges, movable span bridges, and masonry/concrete arch bridges. Once historic significance has been determined, the next logical step in dealing with these historic structures is to develop a treatment/management plan. There is a significant need to formulate such a plan in Virginia. Such a plan would (1) provide for the management of both the physical structure and the preservation of the historic integrity of one of Virginia's historic resource types, and (2) reduce delays and streamline planning and scheduling (with corresponding reduction of attendant costs) for projects relating to historic bridges. This project identified the numerous issues (including legal, engineering, regulatory, financial, preservation, and political issues) that arise concerning the management of historic bridges, evaluated treatment and management options for such bridges, and developed a management plan for each of the historic bridges under VDOT's purview.

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