Span Without Peer:
Crews Reaching New Heights On $19.8 Million Stimulus Bridge
Vecellio & Grogan bridge crews are used to heights. After all, they build bridge spans, not subways. But none has ever risen as high as the new crossing theyve begun in Beckley, WV.
With the tallest pier measuring 217 feet above ground, V&Gs Route 19 Bypass bridge will soar more than twice as high as the Corridor H bridge the team just built in the northeast part of the state.
The new work is part of a $19.8 million WVDOH contract to construct 1.13 miles of four-lane highway for a bypass. It is a stimulus project, with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The project includes more than 250,000 cu. yds. of excavation, but the majority of work involves bridge construction.
Five end-to-end spans, 90-ft. wide and more than 1,200-ft. in total length, will rise high over Cranberry Creek, a steep gorge with limited access for construction equipment.
Another challenge is the presence of mine openings where the pier footings will be, requiring extensive grouting before colder weather sets in so crews can proceed with pier construction during the winter months.
The job deadline is August 2011.
V&G To Build $32 Million Section Of Corridor H
Its called the Wild & Wonderful state, but the same mountains that are so wild and untamed can also make West Virginias outdoor wonders somewhat hard to reach.
To help make travel safer and faster in the northeast part of the state, Vecellio & Grogan has begun building a new, 1.9-mile section of Corridor H in Grant County.
The $32 million contract with the Dept. of Highways (WVDOH) involves more than 5.7 million cu. yds. of excavation and construction of a four-lane, 613-ft. long bridge rising over wetlands and a county road.
The project also includes more than a quarter-mile of 10-ft. x 10-ft. concrete box culvert for drainage, installed in pre-cast sections.
Corridor H is a long planned, partly built, four-lane divided highway extending along a 140-mile route from Weston through the Potomac Highlands to the Virginia state line.
A 40-mile section from Weston to Elkins is finished, with construction of the remainder taking place in sections as state and federal funding allow.
V&G has built multiple sections of the roadway over the years, including a recently-completed Corridor H bridge in Hardy County. Other contractors have also built sections, including several that are underway.