The project includes three Stantec-designed bridges: the Hunts Creek Bridge and the Grassy Creek Twin Bridges. The 302-foot long Hunts Creek Bridge carries US Route 80 over US Route 768 and Hunts Creek.
The Grassy Creek Twin Bridges are six-span, 1,733-foot-long bridges that cross US Route 610 and Grassy Creek. Design was complicated by the mountainous terrain and remote location, which made it difficult to procure construction materials. In addition, coal seams were present at several bridge piers, while the Pine Mountain Thrust Fault lay directly beneath two piers. To overcome these challenges, the Stantec team designed the spans as cast-in-place segmental bridges, built one piece at a time utilizing an on-site concrete plant set up by the contractor.
“The opening of the US Route 460 Connector is tremendously exciting and something that the community has been looking forward to for many years,” said Tony Hunley, Ph.D., Stantec Vice President, Bridges. “These new bridges will provide a link between southwest Virginia and eastern Kentucky as part of the larger US Route 460 Corridor Q Project, helping to improve transportation and encourage tourism.”
As the overall project design manager for the bridge design-build team, Stantec managed field surveying; geotechnical, roadway, and structure design; permitting; right-of-way and mineral acquisition; and relocation of utilities.
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The bridge design-build team included Janssen & Spaans Engineering, Inc. (structures design), Bizzack Construction, LLC (prime contractor), C.J. Mahan Construction Company, LLC (bridge subcontractor), and AMT Construction, Inc. (engineering inspection).
