Scenic Bridge over Virgin River
Mojave County, AZ

The Scenic Bridge in Mojave County was designed to cross the Virgin River to alleviate the 50 mile drive residents currently were required to commute to cross the Virgin River and flood plain.  Because the area is environmentally sensitive and ecologically important the flood plain had to stay relatively undisturbed.

As a sub-consultant, we were responsible for preliminary and final design of a 5-span 485'-6" long bridge structure to span the Virgin River. The superstructure consists of AASHTO type I girders supported on hammerhead piers. Each pier column is supported on a pile cap placed over a group of driven concrete filled steel shell piles. All disturbed areas for foundations and piles were monitored and observed to ensure that all disturbed areas were returned to their original condition.  The full project consisted in excess of nine miles of roadway and appurtenant improvements. Though the bridge was over a controlled area, where environmental concerns needed to be avoided in the design of the structure, schedules and budgets remained constant throughout the project.  Approval for the structure came thru both ADOT and USACE.