In Design

Beach Mill Road Bridge Replacement

Widening and lengthening the bridge over Nichols Branch in Fairfax County

Project Photos

Project at a Glance

Begin Date
Construction June 2012

Est Completion Date
August 2012

Cost
Approx $1.28 million

Locality
Fairfax

District
Northern Virginia

Contact

Nicholas Roper, P.E.
District Bridge Engineer
703-259-1953

Arif Rahman, P.E.
Project Manager
(703) 259-1940

About the Project

This project will replace the bridge carrying Beach Mill Road over Nichols Branch in Fairfax County.

The existing bridge was built in 1940, and is in overall poor condition. It carries approximately 1,600 vehicles per day. The bridge’s current sufficiency rating is 43.8 on a scale of 0 (poor) to 100 (very good). These ratings, developed by the Federal Highway Administration, serve as a prioritization tool to allocate funds. The rating considers adequacy, whether the bridge is functionally obsolete, and its service level to the public.

The project is a candidate for design-build and the request for proposals (RFP) is scheduled to be released in July 2011. This method can expedite the overall schedule with room for innovation in design and construction.

Design Options

The new crossing would be a small, single span to stay within current right-of-way, reduce cost, and remain consistent with the community’s character. Roadway elevation would remain unchanged. The expected service life of the new span is 50-75 years. Several options for lane configuration and appearance are being considered:

Single-lane and two-lane designs

Single-lane (bottom left and right) and two-lane (top left and right) designs are shown below. A two-lane design was first pursued as Beach Mill Road is a two-lane facility. A single-lane option is also being considered after initial community feedback favored retaining a single-lane structure.

Material and appearance

Design options also include either a timber deck supported by steel beams (left below), or a pre-cast concrete slab with asphalt surface (right below).

Beach Mill Design Options