A Management Plan for Historic Bridges In Virginia: The 2024 Update

About the report:

A Management Plan for Historic Bridges in Virginia, published in 2001, identified the management and treatment needs for historic bridges in Virginia (i.e., bridges individually eligible for or listed on the National Register of Historic Places) that were under some measure of state purview. Updates to the plan at 5-year intervals are now required by a 2016 interagency programmatic agreement between the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Virginia State Historic Preservation Officer, and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). This study, the latest update of the 2001 Management Plan, focuses on the 33 Management Plan bridges now under VDOT ownership or purview.

The study, including Appendix B, identifies practices to manage and treat these historic bridges. Technical elements include eyebar deterioration, coatings for metal truss bridges, masonry stabilization, compatible mortar, dismantling pin-connected truss bridges for rehabilitation, and truss bridge capacity. Longer term management issues include threats to bridges posed by modern vehicles, the decision to reduce such traffic on certain historic bridges, the identification of potential alternative uses for such bridges, and nominations of bridges to the National Register of Historic Places. VDOT is actively using the management concepts presented herein. For example, six of the 33 historic bridges have been repaired or rehabilitated during the past 7 years, and another three historic bridges (through trusses in Brunswick and Wythe counties and a deck truss in Bedford County) are expected to be rehabilitated soon.

The Management Plan provides essential information for maintaining historic bridges. For example, the majority (19 of 33) of the historic bridges have some form of stone masonry, and repairs of such structures require specialized methods. Such information helps VDOT provide answers to questions raised by the public and advocacy groups and helps minimize delays of VDOT projects. The stringent standards for defining which bridges are historic, supported by this Plan and the affiliated Historic Structures Task Group, yield a relatively small group of historic bridges, saving VDOT roughly $40,000 to $160,000 annually. The study also recommends that the Virginia Transportation Research Council, with input from the appropriate VDOT district structure and bridge offices, complete the National Register nominations that are now in progress for two bridges and nominate at least one additional National Register-eligible bridge noted herein.

_{Disclaimer Statement:The contents of this report reflect the views of the author(s), who is responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the Virginia Department of Transportation, the Commonwealth Transportation Board, or the Federal Highway Administration. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. Any inclusion of manufacturer names, trade names, or trademarks is for identification purposes only and is not to be considered an endorsement.}

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