Linn Cove Viaduct

Linn Cove Viaduct
File:Linn Cove Viaduct.jpg
Coordinates
Carries	Blue Ridge Parkway
Crosses	Linn Cove of Grandfather Mountain
Owner	National Park Service
Maintained by	National Park Service
Characteristics
Design	Segmental bridge
Material	Concrete
Total length	1,243 feet (379 m)
Width	39.5 feet (12.0 m)
Longest span	180.1 feet (54.9 m)
History
Designer	Figg & Muller Engineering Group
Constructed by	Jasper Construction Co.
Construction begin	1979
Construction end	1987
Construction cost	$10 million
Inaugurated	September 11, 1987
References

Linn Cove Viaduct is a 1,243-foot (379 m) concrete segmental bridge which snakes around the slopes of Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina. It was completed in 1987 at a cost of $10 million and was the last section of the Blue Ridge Parkway to be finished.

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 (379 m) long and consists of 153 segments weighing 50 tons each. 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. The Tanawha Trail passes by the Linn Cove Visitor Center, and it travels beside and underneath the viaduct, on its route from Beacon Heights to Julian Price Memorial Park.

File:Linncoveviaduct.jpg

Linn Cove Viaduct

External links

• Linn Cove Viaduct – Blue Ridge Parkway Association
• Linn Cove viaduct video movie
• Figg Engineering Group
• Construction photo