The existing Fifth Avenue Bridge crossing the Guyandotte River in Huntington was constructed in 1926. The through truss structure acts as an historical resource and a gateway to the historic community of Guyandotte. The existing structure is severely deteriorated and had been scheduled for replacement with a conventional girder structure.

During the environmental review process; members of the public expressed their concerns about the eventual loss of the structure and the planned replacement with a conventional girder bridge. As a result, the West Virginia Division of Highways supplemented our bridge replacement design project and tasked us with development of a context sensitive design study. Several structure alternatives and enhancements to the structure types in the form of architectural treatments were studied. The bridge alternatives under consideration included:  steel girder, steel through truss, and suspension bridge.  A rehabilitation option was also evaluated. 

Design Visualization of these alternatives was requested, with each alternative presented in a collage showing elevation, a driver’s view and a close up that highlights key attributes of each alternative. These renderings will be utilized by the WV Division of Highways during a public meeting to demonstrate to the public the visual impact each alternative.