Engineering Art Mystery Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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West Virginia University’s School of Civil and Mining Engineering was officially established in June 1887. Since then, it has grown into the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, with almost 3000 students in 7 departments. Civil Engineering has formally existed since 1887 (taught earlier as part of the science and military classes), and has turned out many distinguished graduates. Dr. Duane Ellifritt is an alumni of the department and was part of the charter class of the WVU-CEE Academy Civil Engineers. Dr. Ellifritt designed the “Instructional Steel Sculpture,” which is on display at over 150 major universities around the world. The design encompasses virtually every connection available in the construction of structural steel. WVU is fortunate to have one of these sculptures on display, but few people know about it.
The coordinates given are not the coordinates of the structure, but of the Engineering Sciences Building. To find the “Instructional Steel Sculpture”, you will first have to research some general engineering facts about the highway system in WV. Use Google and the WV Department of Transportation’s website (www.wvdot.com) to find the answers to these questions, then use the numbers to get the coordinates of the structure. Then, by examining the structure, you can find the coordinates of the cache. Both locations are within a short walk of the Engineering Sciences Building, but to get the cache you have to go down a rather steep hill, so be prepared. This is a somewhat small cache (2 quart Lock-and-Lock), so not much swag will fit, but I have put some starter items in, including a little FTF prize. If you get stuck on the puzzle or would like to verify your coordinates, please email me through my profile.
As this is the first cache I placed, I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!
Note (4/6/11): While checking someone's coordinates, I realized that some of my facts have changed since the cache was placed. For now, I've put the values needed to solve the puzzle in parentheses for these variables, and will update the puzzle later to make it independent of time.
General WV Highway Facts:
Miles of state highway in WV = A (34610)
Number of interstates in WV = B
Number of bridges in WV = C (6343)
Districts:
District where the southern terminus of the Turnpike is located = D
District where the northern terminus of Corridor L is located = E
District where New River Gorger Bridge is located = F
District where the Frank Gatski Memorial Bridge is located = G
District where the Locust Creek Covered Bridge is located = H
District where the Charles E. (Chuck) Yeager Bridge is located = I
WV turnpike facts
Highest elevation (feet) = J
Lowest elevation (feet) = K
Number of bridges = L
Length of Turnpike (miles) = M
New River Gorge Bridge Facts:
Bridge day is on which Saturday every October = N
Rise of the arch (feet) = O
Final cost (first 2 digits) = P
Bridge length (feet) = Q
Weight of bridge (first 2 digits) = R
The time it used to take to cross the river (minutes) = S
The time it takes to cross the river now (minutes) = T
Width of the deck (feet) = U
Year completed = V
Coordinates:
North: N+O/(H+G) degrees, A-D+J+K+L+U minutes
West: (B-I)*E+P degrees, C*F+Q-V+M+R+S+T minutes
Cache location:
What year was the structure designed = ABCD
How many anchor bolts are used to secure it to the foundation = E
How many C-Channels are on the structure = F
In what year did the designer graduate from WVU = GHIJ
How many trusses are on the structure = K
How many rivets are on the structure = L
North: KH KC.EEC
West: LIB DC.KIF
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Qbja gur uvyy orybj Ybg 40
Treasures
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