How Mennonite Volunteers are Climate-Proofing West Virginia’s Infrastructure

Sometimes it takes a village to raise a bridge.

When we think of bridges, we often envision soaring creations that carry vehicles on airborne trajectories that would be impossible without modern engineering.

But most bridges are unnoticed and unsung. We drive over them every day without realizing it. These span more humble distances, like drainage ditches, or underpasses, or minor creeks and streams. They’re unassuming, but when they go, major problems result.

Especially in places like Lincoln County, West Virginia. Deep in the heart of Appalachia, communities here were cut off from the world when extreme floods washed their modest bridges away. Few communities had the money to repair these transportation lifelines.

That is, until the volunteers arrived.

You may have heard of a Mennonite barn raising, where an entire community comes together to erect a barn for a single family. You may be less familiar, however, with a Mennonite bridge raising. (And the bridges are surprisingly sophisticated.)

Read the rest at Popular Science.