Linn Cove Viaduct

Linn Cove Viaduct is a 1243-foot concrete segmental bridge which snakes around the slopes of Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina. It was completed in 1983 at a cost of $10 million and was the last section of the Blue Ridge Parkway to be finished. It is said to be the most complicated concrete bridge ever built [http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/linncove.htm] .

The viaduct was needed because of the damage that a traditional cut-and-fill road would have caused to Grandfather Mountain. The viaduct was designed by Figg and Muller Engineers, Inc.; construction began in 1979. It is 1,243 feet long and consists of 153 segments weighing 50 tons each. [http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/linncove.htm] The bridge's segments were precast at an indoor facility at the south side of the parkway. After being transported to the bridge site, each section was lowered into place by a custom crane placed on either edge of the existing structure. The only work done at ground level was drilling for the seven footings which support the viaduct. In particular, there was no access road other than the Blue Ridge Parkway itself. The bridge has received eleven design awards.

The National Park Service maintains a visitor center and bridge museum at the south end of the viaduct. Walking trails that originate at the center travel under and beside the viaduct and connect with the Blue Ridge Parkway trail network.

External links

* [http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/linncove.htm Blue Ridge Parkway Association]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsU9MJZFlfQ Linn Cove viaduct video movie]
* [http://www.figgbridge.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/IRMAProjectSite.woa/wa/view?site=Figg%20Engineering%20Group&section=Bridge%20Gallery&page=Linn%20Cove Figg Engineering Group]
* [http://www.mountaintimes.com/history/1980s/viaduct.php3 Construction photo]