NATURAL BRIDGE, Va. – Discussion over the stability of Natural Bridge and the roadway that crosses it continues in Rockbridge County.
VDOT surveyors were back out Wednesday with laser imaging equipment taking 3D pictures of the natural structure using what is referred to as “LIDAR,” or Light Detection and Ranging.
VDOT communications manager for the Staunton district, Sandy Myers, explained this is the most high-tech testing that's ever been done on the bridge despite the more than 2,000 vehicles that drive over it every day.
"It's very unique to have this type of geological formation with a road on top,” Myers said. "We don't have any records of this ever being thoroughly tested.”
Now that the property and the structure have become a state park, both government agencies, VDOT and the Department of Conservation and Recreation, are working together to protect both the road and the bridge.
"At the end of this testing we are going to have a 3D image of this surface of the entire bridge if you will. We are shooting from underneath the bridge and we are shooting for over top of the bridge. At the end of the day we will have basically a map that we can look at that shows us every crevice, every bump, everything on the surface of this structure,” Myers said.
Those test results along with the ground penetrating radar testing done a few weeks ago will be released by the end of the year.