Trial Guidelines for the Conservation of Virginia's Historic Bridges

About the report:

Interest in the preservation of historic engineering structures has increased dramatically over the past decade. Because civil engineering structures primarily serve functions in the public domain, their preservation focuses attention on what appear to be diametrically opposed legislative mandates. Thus, today's bridge repair and replacement projects bring together two sets of professionals whose divergent approaches have seemingly been established by legislation whose ultimate aim is the public good. The identification and evaluation of structures and a commitment to conservation plans are necessary initial steps for the retention of historically significant bridges. The successful implementation of bridge conservation plans is vitally dependent upon acceptable guidelines and standards that accommodate the perspectives of both the preservation community and transportation agencies. This report presents principles, priorities, and guidelines for historic bridges that are consistent with current guidelines used in the conservation of historic buildings.

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