Admiral T. J. Lopez Bridge | |
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Coordinates | 38°11′52″N 81°29′47″W / 38.19778°N 81.49639°W |
Carries | 4 lanes |
Crosses | Kanawha River |
Locale | Chelyan, West Virginia |
Other name(s) | Chelyan Bridge |
Owner | West Virginia Department of Transportation |
Characteristics | |
Design | Truss bridge |
Total length | 2,200 feet (670 m) |
Longest span | 594 feet (181 m) |
History | |
Designer | HDR Engineering Inc., Pittsburgh |
Construction start | May 1995 |
Construction end | 1997 |
Construction cost | $25.9 million |
Opened | June 30, 1997 |
Location | |
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The Admiral T. J. Lopez Bridge is a truss bridge crossing the Kanawha River at Chelyan, West Virginia, named for 4-star admiral Thomas J. Lopez. [1] The Warren truss bridge cost $25.9 million to build, and was opened to traffic on June 30, 1997. It serves as a connection between I-64/ I-77 ( West Virginia Turnpike), U.S. Route 60 (US 60), and West Virginia Route 61 (WV 61).
The current bridge replaced an earlier crossing known as the Chelyan Bridge. Initially a toll crossing constructed for the Midland Trail-James River Bridge Company in 1928-29, this bridge consisted of 17 riveted steel truss and girder spans with a total length of 1,355 feet (413 m). The main span over the navigable channel was a 450-foot-long (140 m) cantilever truss with 200-foot (61 m) side spans. It was sold to the state of West Virginia in 1946 and, despite several rehabilitation projects over the years, continuing deterioration of the bridge required a load limit to be imposed. The bridge was documented by the West Virginia Division of Highways for the Historic American Engineering Record in 1993 prior to its replacement. [2]