Bayer MaterialScience-Sponsored Award Presented at the Annual International Bridge Conference
Pittsburgh, June 2, 2008 - The Blennerhassett Bridge in Parkersburg, W.Va., is the 2008 winner of the Gustav Lindenthal Medal. When completed this month, the bridge will carry Route 50 over the Ohio River and Blennerhassett Island. This prestigious award, sponsored by Bayer MaterialScience LLC, was presented to the West Virginia Department of Transportation, which owns the bridge; designer Dr. Gregor Wollman of Michael Baker Jr. Inc.; and contractor Walsh Construction Company. Doni Riddle, vice president, Industrial & Marine Coatings, Sherwin Williams Co., presented the award on Monday, June 2, 2008, during the annual International Bridge Conference® (IBC) in Pittsburgh.
Blennerhassett Island is home to a state park and has great historical significance. The bridge design was developed in cooperation with the State Historic Preservation Office and was subject to community input. Located near Parkersburg, W.Va., the bridge is 4,008 feet long, 100.5 feet wide and accommodates six lanes of traffic. The main span over the Ohio River features a unique 878-foot-long network tied arch. The arch span utilizes two families of crossing inclined hangers instead of the more typical vertical hanger arrangement. Use of this type of arch increases strength, stiffness and reduncancy of the structure. The Blennerhassett arch currently is the longest-span structure of this type in the world.
Another noteworthy feature of this project is its distinction of being the first application of stay-cable-technology in an arch span in the United States. Benefits from this technology include ease of installation, as well as adjustment and replacement of cables inside the girder and arch rib. This provides protection from the environment and from impact, enhances appearance and allows inspection of the anchorages without the need for extensive rigging.
Construction of the bridge began in April 2005 and is scheduled to be completed this month. When it officially opens, the Appalachian Corridor D - begun in 1965 as a primary, local transportation link - will be complete.
"For nearly 10 years, Bayer has been honored to sponsor this distinguished award. We congratulate everyone involved in this project and commend them for a structure that fulfilled the award criteria," said Richard Sabatine, senior vice president, Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties - NAFTA, Bayer MaterialScience.
One of five esteemed awards given annually at the International Bridge Conference, the Gustav Lindenthal Medal was created in 1999 to honor a recent outstanding achievement that best demonstrates technical and material innovation together with aesthetic merit, harmony with the environment or successful community participation.
Gustav Lindenthal was one of America's most celebrated bridge engineers, and is widely admired for his innovative ideas, vision and foresight during the technology boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Lindenthal established an engineering practice in Pittsburgh, and participants of the International Bridge Conference can enjoy a spectacular example of Lindenthal's work. In the City of Bridges, the Smithfield Street Bridge stands out as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark and National Historic Landmark. Completed in 1883 as Pittsburgh's first river bridge, the Smithfield Street Bridge is a double lenticular truss spanning the Monongahela River. It remains a popular passage today, serving more than 18,000 commuters and being the most heavily walked pedestrian bridge in the city.
The IBC has been held annually in Pittsburgh for the last 25 years. It serves as the leading display for the bridge industry in North America, Europe and Asia. Over 1,200 bridge owners and engineers, government officials, senior policy makers, construction executives, bridge designers and suppliers from all over the world attend the Conference each year.
Bayer MaterialScience LLC is one of the leading producers of polymers and high-performance plastics in North America and is part of the global Bayer MaterialScience business with nearly 15,400 employees at 30 sites around the world and 2007 sales of 10.4 billion euros. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction, medical, and sports and leisure industries. Our inorganic basic chemicals unit produces chlorine and related essential products for the chemicals industry. Let us give life to your vision. Bayer MaterialScience -- Where VisionWorks.
Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is a subsidiary of Bayer AG, an international health care, nutrition and innovative materials group based in Leverkusen, Germany. In North America, Bayer had 2007 net sales of 8.1 billion euros and employed 16,800 at year end. Bayer's three subgroups, Bayer HealthCare, Bayer CropScience and Bayer MaterialScience, improve people's lives through a broad range of essential products that help diagnose, prevent and treat diseases; protect crops and enhance yields; and advance automobile safety and durability.
Contact:
Tom Erdner, Phone: 412-777-5200
E-mail: thomas.erdner@bayerbms.com
For more information about Bayer MaterialScience, call 1-800-662-2927, e-mail naftainfo@bayerbms.com or visit www.bayermaterialsciencenafta.com.
