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This historic 180-year-old stone arch bridge which carries Route 50 over the Little River in Aldie, Virginia, was found to require sensitive masonry restoration and structural strengthening after a statewide bridge
survey. One wing and spandrel wall bowed out dangerously and a support buttress was showing signs of accelerated weathering due to mortar joint deterioration throughout the bridge.
Built originally for horse and buggy traffic, Aldie Bridge carries thousands of vehicles each day. The bridge is 23' wide and with two single lanes and there are no sidewalks or curbs. The stone arches have spans of
approximately 31' and a rise and fall of about 5'. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) said that the increased traffic volume and vehicle weights from local development along Route 50 caused the bridge to show many signs of being
overloaded, which accelerated the normal failure mechanisms of the structure.
Utilizing the ARCHTEC SYSTEM, which includes the use of finite element computer modeling and simulation software, Cintec America calculated all of the stress factors placed on the bridge with and without the addition
of customized Cintec structural anchors. After analysis of these results placement of ARCHTEC Reinforcement Anchors were plotted so that the bridge would conform to federal AASHTO standards.
The ARCHTEC SYSTEM of masonry bridge strengthening involves accurate installation of custom designed Cintec reinforcement anchors that boost the capacity of the masonry arch barrel. For this project 38 anchors
ranging from 15' to 22' (670 feet total) were precisely core drilled and installed by specially trained Cintec Certified Installers. Safety and environmental protection measures were fully and successfully deployed throughout the project.
It was important to the community and VDOT to keep the bridge open to traffic at all times since the local fire department was located at one end of the bridge. In order to cope with the high volume of rush hour
traffic in and out of Washington DC, it was necessary to switch to nighttime work when the centerline anchors were installed. On completion, the ARCHTEC system was praised as being an innovative means of strengthening the Aldie bridge to meet
future traffic loads whilst maintaining its historic character.
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