Pickering provided full design services for the restoration of the historic Woodrow Wilson Bridge over the Pearl River in Rankin County, MS. The lead agency for the project was the City of Flowood and other governmental entities including the Mississippi Division of the Federal Highway Administration, Mississippi Department of Transportation and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. The firm's team was recognized for its design work as a finalist in the structural systems category for the 39th Annual Engineering Excellence Awards of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), and received an Honor Award at the ACEC state-level competition. Conservation of the original fabric and the in kind repair or replacement of deteriorated members was required to ensure deterioration and structural problems threatening survival of the bridge were arrested and long term preservation maintained. The Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge was constructed in 1925 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The bridge is one of only two reinforced concrete open spandrel arch bridges in the State. The bridge consists of cast in place concrete tee beam approach spans. The main span is a reinforced concrete open spandrel arch. An in-depth inspection and structural assessment indicated that the majority of the bridge elements were in overall satisfactory condition with sufficient load carrying capacity to warrant its rehabilitation. However, the reinforced concrete bridge deck was not strong enough to support H2O loads. It simply was not designed to carry post World War II loads. In order to return the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge to service, it was proposed to replace the existing superstructure and rehabilitate the existing substructure. All rehabilitation was performed in accordance with The Secretary of the Interior's Treatments for Historic Properties. Existing deck, floor system (tee beams and floor beams) and abutments were replaced. The new superstructure provides a wider clear roadway by increasing the travel lanes and shoulders in each direction. The deck replacement necessitated removal of the existing bridge rail, a handsome concrete balustrade that features blind segmental panels that are pierced with rectangular openings. The new bridge rail is a replica of the original rail system. All replacement of deteriorated or lost material was done in kind and all concrete specified to match the existing in color and texture as closely as possible. Through its successful completion, The Rehabilitation of the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge reestablished a vital and historically significant highway linkage across the Pearl River.

Woodrow Wilson Bridge Renovation and restoration of historic bridge Flowood, MS Construction Cost $4.5 million Completion Date 2003