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Man Bridge Evaluation and Testing

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Conditions on the constructed, but unopened, Man Bridge had raised questions as to its safety. Issues included out-of-flatness of the girder webs observed since construction, cracking of the piers, and the condition of the parapets. The WVDOH turned to their trusted partner, M&M, to investigate further. Officially known as the SFC Terrance N. Gentry Memorial Bridge, it consists of two curved structures, each made up of two six-span continuous steel plate girder units. The total length of the southbound structure is 2,215’and the northbound is 2,210’. The superstructures consist of four adjacent welded steel plate girders with web depths ranging from six to eight feet.

M&M reviewed the design and construction of the structure, performed an as-built inspection and load capacity rating, developed a 3-D finite element analysis, and developed an instrumentation plan complete with static and dynamic load testing. The testing program collected and evaluated: dynamic and static strain measurements; temperature induced strain measurements; girder surface temperature measurements to monitor the temperature of the girders; vertical and transverse displacements of girders and piers; displacements at several piers with tiltmeters or precision string potentiometers; and dynamic and static strains at the base of several piers. 

Bridge Geometry
Length of Main Span 250 feet
Total Project Length 2,215 feet
Lanes on Structure 4 lanes
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