WVU engineering students redesign Morgantown bridges for senior capstone project

MORGANTOWN — West Virginia University engineering students are working on the design of new bridges for Morgantown, showcasing their skills as part of their senior capstone course.

Benjamin Opie, a civil engineering major from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, is part of a group from the WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources involved in redesigning the Scotts Run bridge on Lazzelle Union Road. Another group of students is focused on the Fieldcrest Bridge, which crosses West Run Road. Both projects are part of the Wadsworth Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s senior capstone course.

“These bridges are in poor condition,” Opie said. “The Scotts Run bridge, in particular, has issues with cracking on the beams and the deck.”

The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH), along with industry partners including Nucor Corporation, High Steel Structures, and Cleveland-Cliffs, will use the students’ designs to replace the bridges starting in early to mid-2025, according to Associate Professor Karl Barth.

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

Students designed the bridges with structural stability, longevity, and cost effectiveness in mind.

“We wanted to propose a design that will last a long time,” Opie said. “The current Scotts Run bridge uses a concrete adjacent box beam design, which tends to fail early. We evaluated options that can last from 75 to 100 years.”

Opie described the senior capstone as a culmination of their four years of study.

“It’s that project that prepares you for going out and working in the industry. Throughout the semester, you talk with numerous different professional contractors and consultants to get their perspectives,” Opie said. These industry professionals provided insights on software models, pricing, and field approaches.

Opie’s prior internship with engineering consulting firm Michael Baker International was beneficial, providing a foundation in reading drawing plans and understanding bridge design terminology.

“The capstone synthesized every single part of civil engineering,” Opie said. “It brought in structural analysis, environmental and water considerations, geotechnical aspects for the substructure, and transportation engineering for traffic control during construction.”

Barth emphasized the impact of the students’ research.

“The students’ work will benefit residents of West Virginia and other states. This partnership between the University and the WVDOH is a collaboration that fulfills our land-grant mission while involving WVU civil and environmental engineering seniors in a unique learning opportunity,” Barth said.

West Virginia Secretary of Transportation Jimmy Wriston praised the partnership.

“Nobody values education more than I do,” Wriston said. “As a champion of higher learning, it’s exciting to partner with our engineering schools to ensure the next generation of engineers are ready, willing, and able to apply practical, real world experience to their skill sets.”

Opie decided to continue his education in the WVU civil engineering master’s degree program, despite receiving a job offer as a field engineer in Baltimore.

“The capstone was difficult and frustrating at times,” Opie said, “but being able to work through that and seeing it all come full circle is one of the best feelings I’ve had in a while.”