Private Vehicular Bridge

Flood Resilient
Private Vehicular Bridges

JZ Engineering is collaborating with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) and West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (WV-VOAD) to replace private vehicular bridges destroyed by flooding during the summers of 2015 and 2016. The bridges end the isolation from vital resources that the families are subjected to. We have designed over 150 bridges, and more than 125 have been built by WV-VOAD mainly with volunteers. JZ Engineering also mentors University Engineering students through the Engineers in Action (EIA) Bridge Program to build some of these private vehicular bridges.

This disaster relief and future disaster prevention work has now extended into flood damaged areas of southwest Virginia and eastern Kentucky

For more information and stories, check out the video coverage and projects highlighted below, an interview with National Public Radio and articles on the Popular Science website ("Climate-Proofing"), the MDS website ("Young Engineers"), and the WV-WOAD website ("Bridge Program"). In 2016, WV-VOAD was awarded the Innovative Program of the Year Award for its work replacing bridges.

Clendenin, WV: Big Blue Bridge

Big Blue is JZ Engineering's largest private vehicular bridge yet, spanning a total of 310ft. In collaboration with WV-VOAD and MDS, this bridge was completed in March 2022 and serves 14 households.

Big Blue Bridge

Video accompanying the VOAD story by the WCHS Eyewitness News Channel (Charleston-Huntington, WV) - March 18th, 2016

Videos from the MDS Youtube channel

Flood ResilientPrivate Vehicular Bridges

Flood Resilient
Private Vehicular Bridges