NC West Virginia News

West Virginia University undergraduate engineering students have contributed to the construction of new bridges in Morgantown. Civil engineering major Benjamin Opie, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, is one of the WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources students enrolled in the senior capstone course offered by the Wadsworth Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. These students spent the Spring 2024 semester researching costs and benefits of different bridge designs and materials, and evaluating conditions at sites of two local bridges needing replacement.

Opie led a group focused on replacing the Scotts Run bridge on Lazzelle Union Road, while another group worked on designing a replacement for the Fieldcrest Bridge over West Run Road. Both bridges are reportedly in poor condition despite being only a few decades old. The Scotts Run bridge exhibits cracking on the bottom of beams and top of the deck among other issues.

Associate professor Karl Barth, who teaches the bridge design capstone course, said that West Virginia Division of Highways engineers, along with Nucor Corporation, High Steel Structures, and Cleveland-Cliffs will use these student designs when replacing the problematic bridges starting early to mid-2025.

“The two bridge designs worked on in the capstone class represent cutting-edge technologies with significant potential for improving infrastructure economy and efficiency,” Barth stated. “The class was the perfect environment to develop these technologies, and both the WVDOH and steel industry are excited to deploy them.”

Students designed for structural stability, longevity, and cost-effectiveness. “We wanted to propose a design that will last a long time,” Opie said. “Like a lot of bridges constructed around the same period, the current Scotts Run bridge is what’s called a concrete adjacent box beam design. We were looking to gear away from that because it tends to fail earlier than it should. We evaluated options that can last from 75 to 100 years.”

Opie described this senior capstone as comprehensive: “Everything you’ve done in your four years is getting you ready for this... Throughout the semester you talk with numerous different professional contractors and consultants.” He also mentioned his summer 2023 internship experience with Michael Baker International provided foundational skills relevant to their project.

Barth emphasized that student research will impact standard practice codes: “The students’ work will benefit residents of West Virginia as well as other states where their work will impact practice.”

West Virginia Secretary of Transportation Jimmy Wriston highlighted mutual benefits: "As a champion of higher learning, it’s exciting to partner with our engineering schools."

Opie received an offer as a field engineer but chose instead to continue his education in WVU's civil engineering master’s degree program.