2002 Eighth Biennial Bridge Awards Competition
Eight Concrete Bridges Selected for Awards of Excellence
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Eighth Biennial Bridge Awards
Eight winners have been named in PCA’s Eighth Biennial Bridge
Awards Competition. The competition, instituted in 1988, recognizes
excellence in design and construction of concrete bridges.
The
2002 program attracted 55 outstanding entries from Canada and the
United States. All structures were essentially completed between
October 2000 and October 2002. The entries covered a variety of
structure types and construction methods.
The winners were selected based on creativity, functionality, and
economy by a jury of three prominent bridge professionals:
- Benjamin Tang, Senior Structural Engineer, Federal Highway Administration,
Washington D.C.
- Edward Wasserman, Civil Engineering Director – Structures,
Tennessee Department of Transportation, Nashville, Tennessee
- Frederick Gottemoeller, Principal, Rosales Gottemoeller &
Associates, Inc. Columbia, Maryland.
All winning entries will receive an Award of Excellence at the
American Concrete Institute Awards Program to be held in March 2003
in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
The award-winning entries are listed below without regard to ranking
or category. (Click on photos for larger images.)
Diamondback Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge
Tuscon, Arizona
This 280-ft (85.3-m) bridge is a blend of
form and function, thereby combining the artist’s idea with
a practical, functional structure that serves bicyclists and pedestrians
alike. This unique structure presented several challenges during
its design and construction. The complexity of the bridge is inherent
in its shape and size. A post-tensioned reinforced concrete box
is used to simulate the belly and metal fencing over the top is
used to simulate the skin of a diamondback rattlesnake.
Project Principals:
City of Tucson, Department of Transportation, owner; T.Y.
Lin International, engineer; Simon Donovan, architect,
Hunter Contracting, contractor; and Tucson Readimix, concrete
supplier.
Jury Comments: Very
innovative use of a civil structure as art. An outstanding example
of the integration of art and structure, and a great blend of textures
and shapes to produce a theme bridge. The illusion of walking through
the belly of a snake will be a memorable experience that no other
bridge offers.
 Double-Deck
Post-Tensioned HPC Bridge System for New Terminal at Toronto Pearson
Airport
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The versatility and structural integrity
offered by concrete was best utilized to overcome several challenges
during the design of this bridge including: double-deck arrangement,
non-standard support layout, confined structural depth, architectural
and functional limitations imposed by the adjacent airport terminal
building, and the requirement of minimal maintenance. The 1,475-ft
(450-m) long flat-plate structure is curved in plan and consists
of 39.4-in (1,000-mm) deep solid post-tensioned concrete deck continuous
over three spans. The project employed the first large scale application
of cast-in-place high performance concrete (HPC) for bridge construction
in Canada—more than 39,250 cy (30,000 m³) of HPC was successfully
placed in only 10 individual pours.
Project Principals:
Greater Toronto Airports Authority, owner; Hatch Mott MacDonald
Ltd., engineer; Airport Architects Canada (Adamson Associates;
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP; Moshe Safdie and Associates),
architects; Dufferin Construction Company, contractor;
Dufferin Custom Concrete, concrete supplier
Jury Comments: A
great example of the successful combination of bridge technology
and building technology. Best use of the special versatility of
concrete—the only material suitable for this technically and
architecturally complex project.
 I-25/I-40
"Big I" Interchange Reconstruction
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Speedy design and construction, and close cooperation among the
owner, engineers, and contractors set the Big-I apart from other
large and complex highway interchange projects in the United States.
The project involved 45 new bridge structures. Precast prestressed
concrete bridges, the workhorses of the project, featured 65, 570
lineal ft (19,985 m) of 54 to 72 in. (1,370 to 1,830 mm) of deep
bulb-tees with a maximum span of 150 ft. The 8,450 lineal ft (2,575
m) of fly-over ramps of this five-level interchange are balanced
cantilever segmental bridges built using a unique “top down”
traffic phasing scheme in which the highest bridges were constructed
and opened to traffic first. Bridges were designed in 16 months
and constructed in 24 months. Concrete was the material of choice
because it maximized the use of local labor, minimized the schedule,
and complemented the surrounding adobe architecture.
Project Principals:New Mexico
State Highway and Transportation Department, owner; URS
Corporation, Chavez Grieves, Parsons Brinckerhoff, engineers;
Twin Mountain Construction, contractor; Waycor, concrete
supplier; and Rinker Materials and Twin Mountain Construction,
precasters.
Jury Comments: Very fluid combination
of cast-in-place segmental cantilever construction and precast prestressed
concrete elements. The use of uniform color and blue stripe along
the parapet make the structure blend so well with the surrounding
that it looks like it has always been there. The repeated use of
simple shapes, streamlined sections, and graceful geometrics make
this project an outstanding and elegant masterpiece.
 Rouge
River Pedestrian Bridge
Grant Pass, Oregon
The 658-ft (200.6-m) long pedestrian bridge with spans of 240 ft,
278 ft, and 140 ft (73.1 m, 84.7 m, and 42.7 m), is the first multi-span
“stress-ribbon” bridge in the United States. The design
criterion required a clear-span for the main channel of the river,
which is used year-round for recreational boating and also provides
critical habitat for threatened and endangered fish species. Keeping
construction activity out of the main channel was imperative. The
stress-ribbon bridge is constructed by sliding precast concrete
deck panels along bearing cable ribbons strung from and anchored
at the abutments on each side of the river. After construction of
a cast-in-place concrete overlay, the strands were tensioned to
create an extremely stiff yet slender concrete structure with a
main span depth of only 14 in. (356 mm).
Project Principals:
City of Grant Pass, Oregon, owner; OBEC Consulting
Engineers and Dr. Jiri Strasky, Consulting Engineer, engineers;
Dr. Jiri Strasky, Consulting Engineer, architect; Holm II, Inc.,
contractor; Riverside Ready Mix, Inc., concrete supplier;
and Morse Brothers, precaster.
Jury Comments: With
the minimal imposition on the wooded setting, the bridge seems to
just float in the air. The undulating vertical alignment gives the
bridge an extra dimension that you don’t normally expect in
a pedestrian bridge; it produces appeal and provides a sense of
adventure for the users.
 Sailboat
Bridge
U.S. Highway 59 over the Grand Lake O' the
Cherokees
Grove, Oklahoma
Sailboat Bridge is the first and the only
precast segmental bridge in Oklahoma and much of the surrounding
four state region (KS, MO, AR, and OK). This is a 3,044-ft (927.8-m)
long twin structure with typical spans of 122 ft (37.2 m) and is
built with 356 85-ton (77-MT) segments measuring 41 ft, 4 in. (12.6
m) wide and 7 ft, 3 in. (2.21 m) deep. The construction of the bridge
presented several challenges—deep water, drilling into hard
rock, utilizing existing foundations, high winds, fluctuations in
Grand Lake elevations causing fluctuations in the available power
generated by the dam on the lake, and handling and quality control
of immense material quantities. The contractor utilized unique construction
methods to overcome all obstacles to build the highest quality bridge
structure in Oklahoma during the period from July 1, 2000 through
June 30, 2001. The average bridge deck profile reference index (PRI)
was 2.3 in./mile (36.3 mm/km), while the PRI required for full pay
was 25 in./mile (395 mm/km).
Project Principals: Oklahoma
Department of Transportation, owner; Figg Engineering Group,
engineer and architect; Traylor Brothers, Inc., contractor;
Lair & Sons, Rainbow Concrete (APAC), concrete suppliers;
and Traylor Brothers, Inc., precaster.
Jury Comments: Commendable
use of existing deep foundations to save cost. A great example of
the aesthetic success achieved by the repetition of simple but well
designed elements. The constant depth makes the vertical curve of
the bridge flow more readily, producing a graceful structure.
 Taylor
Street Overcrossing/Urban Interchange
San Jose, California
The Taylor Street Interchange on Route 87,
a major commuter route in the Silicon Valley serving the San Jose
International Airport and San Jose Civic Center, provides sweeping
vistas to downtown San Jose. The space-efficient design allows maximum
traffic movement in a small area. This context-sensitive design
integrates abutting neighborhoods by incorporating vintage-era lampposts
and pedestrian overlooks.
Project Principals: Caltrans District
4, owner; Caltrans, Division of Engineering Services,
engineer; Parsons, architect; Granite/CCM Myers Joint
Venture, contractors; Mission Valley Ready Mix Company,
concrete supplier; and Kie-Con, precaster.
Jury Comments:The best integration
of geometric, architectural, and structural design of the single
point urban interchange. Careful attention to a lot of urban features
like the sidewalk, the islands, and the lighting has created a harmonious
design. The centerpiece, the overhead signal bridge, mimics the
shape of the retaining wall and the arch theme of the bridge parapet.
 Truckee
River Bridge and Overhead
Truckee, California
Nestled in the Truckee Basin between the
Sierra Nevada mountains to the west and the Carson Range to the
east, this 1,525-ft (465-m) long, 7-span bridge features a cast-in-place
post-tensioned box girder structure. The depth of the superstructure
with a maximum span of 233 ft (71 m) ranges from 7 ft, 7 in. (2.3
m) at the mid-span to 15 ft (4.57 m) at the piers. The artful proportioning
of the bridge is achieved by 9 ft, 6 in. (2.9 m) deck overhangs,
out of a total deck width of 42 ft, 8 in. (13 m) and bi-directional
parabolic flaring of 9-ft (2.75-m) square columns to create an arch-like
effect. To combat the harsh winter environment and extend the service
life of the bridge, the designers chose high performance concrete,
epoxy coated reinforcement, and a polymer concrete overlay.
Project Principals: Caltrans District
3, owner; Caltrans, Division of Engineering Services,,
engineer; Caltrans, Bridge Architecture and Aesthetics
Branch, architect; MCM Construction Inc. and Ladd and Associates,
Inc., contractors; and Truckee-North-Tahoe, Inc., concrete
supplier.
Jury Comments: This is a terrific
example of how to accomplish a lot with very simple elements. Assemble
just the right shapes, give them just the right proportions, and
the effect is an extremely elegant bridge that fits its environment
very well.
 Virginia
Dare Bridge
Manteo, North Carolina
A new bridge was deemed necessary to span
the Croatan Sound and provide a hurricane evacuation route from
the Outer Banks to the Dare County mainland. At 5.2 miles
(8.4 km), this is the longest bridge in North Carolina and the eighth
longest in the United States. The bridge was designed to withstand
the highly corrosive coastal environment and a vessel impact load
of up to 1,950 kips (8,720 kN). The 100-yr design was achieved by
the use of high performance concrete throughout the bridge. The
main navigational span unit is a 3-span continuous structure constructed
using spliced-girder technology. The main span length of 230 ft
(70.1 m) pushed the limits of the construction methodology at the
time the bridge was completed.
Project Principals:North Carolina Department
of Transportation, owner; Wilbur Smith Associates, engineer;
Balfour Beatty, contractor; and Gate Concrete, precaster.
Jury Comments: A very striking
alignment. Judicious combination of simple repetitive precast, prestressed
girder approach spans and the innovative 3-span continuous spliced-girder
scheme for the main navigational span produces a cost-effective
solution. The spliced-girder technology is pushing the design envelope
for conventional precast prestressed members to another level of
effective use.
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