One Of The Highest Bridges In The Whole Country Is Right Here In Virginia

Have you ever heard of the Wilson Creek Bridge? It's among the tallest of America's bridges, and it's located right here in Virginia. Technically, it's the second-tallest bridge in Virginia, with the first being the U.S. Route 460 Connector Bridge. Yet it's the Wilson Creek Bridge that holds the distinction of having the highest bridge span in the state of Virginia. Towering 175 feet above the ground, the bridge spans nearly 2,000 feet and features a five-span structure. Here's more on the engineering marvel that is the Wilson Creek Bridge.

Nestled in the foothills of Appalachia awaits a true architectural wonder: the Wilson Creek Bridge.

Also known as the Smart Road Bridge, this 1,985-foot crossing features four double-tapered piers and 100 cast-in segments.

As you can imagine, the construction process of building this bridge was far from easy. Not only the height but the difficult terrain of the ground meant that assembling the bridge was a challenge.

Yet even if you didn't know about the technical challenges, you'd appreciate the bridge for its beauty. Framed by the mountains, it's graceful, sleek, and purposeful.

In fact, the bridge has been awarded the Bridge Award of Excellence by the American Segmental Bridge Institute and also received a place among America's Top 10 Structural Designs in the 2002 Design Awards.

What's also unique about Wilson Creek Bridge is that it's part of the Smart Road Project, meaning that it's only open for the purpose of testing pavement technologies.

Eventually, however, the road will extend to connect Route 460 to I-81, at which point it will be open to all traffic.

Had you ever heard about the Wilson Creek Bridge? What do you think about this impressive structure? If you can't get enough of our state's unique bridges, then you'll love exploring these beautiful covered bridges in Virginia.