Prize Bridge Competition : 2005 Winners

Winning steel bridges in the 2005 NSBA Prize Bridge Award Competition, described below, were completed prior to July 2005. A panel of industry judges selected the winning bridges based on their innovation, aesthetics, and design and engineering solutions. NSBA honored the winning bridge designers during a dinner banquet at the 2005 World Steel Bridge Symposium in Orlando, Florida, on December 1, 2005.

Long Span Appalachian Corridor H over Clifford Hollow — The Clifford Hollow Bridge in Hardy County, WV, provides an attractive, yet simple, solution to a deep valley crossing. This superstructure used a girder-substringer system with a span arrangement of end spans of 210 ft and 4 interior spans at 275.5 ft, for a total length of 1,522 ft. The contractor chose to launch the girders, requiring modified girder designs to accommodate the launching stresses. While the steel weight increased in the redesigned girders, longitudinal stiffeners and transverse stiffeners were eliminated, offsetting the additional steel cost by reducing fabrication labor.
Major Span Gateway Boulevard Bridge over the Cumberland River — Connecting East Nashville, TN, with the thriving downtown business and entertainment district, the Gateway Boulevard Bridge has a total length of 1,660 feet. The river span is a 545-foot-long steel through-arch bridge spanning the Cumberland River. The main arch deck is buffered by two transition spans, made of steel plate girders, which are 59 feet each. The arch ribs are steel box girders with a lateral bracing system of steel box Vierendee struts.
Medium Span  New Croton Dam Spillway Bridge — A new 200-foot steel deck arch bridge in Cortlandt, NY, provides a dramatic focal point for the monumental dam in time for its 100th anniversary. Fast-track bridge replacement and comprehensive aesthetic improvement over the existing 1970’s bridge were achieved. Durable materials including well detailed metalized steel sealed box shapes maximize service life. Both the work platform and erection shoring were supported from the existing arches in an innovative erection scheme which facilitated rapid, economical erection over the spillway torrent. Structural steel was a natural choice since it provides a historically context sensitive solution and is timelessly durable.
Short Span Germantown Avenue Bridge over Wissahickon Creek (Philadelphia, PA) — Replacement of the previous nine span straight bridge over Wissahickon Creek with a 50 percent longer three span curved steel girder bridge solved numerous engineering challenges and produced an aesthetic structure worthy of recognition. The increased hydraulic opening width and shallow superstructure depth reduced upstream flooding and local scouring. The new, curved roadway alignment eliminated a hazardous 15 mph bend and provided a consistent 35 mph capacity throughout this portion of Germantown Avenue, classified as an urban arterial roadway. Use of real and formed stone surfaces, old style pedestal streetlights, and ornamental railings helped integrate the bridge into its surroundings.
Movable Span Colonel Patrick O'Rorke Bridge over the Genesee River — This $104 million Colonel Patrick O'Rorke Bridge is a landmark structure that will serve as a focal point in the revitalization of the Port of Rochester, NY, and provide a vital link connecting the communities on either side of the Genesee River. The new bridge consists of a 243-foot long Scherzer rolling-lift bascule main span flanked by a 148-foot long single-span steel girder approach structure on the west side and a 530-foot long, three-span curved and splayed steel girder approach structure on the east side. The O'Rorke Bridge was constructed some 250 feet upstream of the bridge it replaced (a low-level Straus-designed trunnion bridge) and is 22 feet higher than its predecessor, carrying four 11-foot-wide travel lanes, two 5-foot wide bicycle lanes and oversized 7-foot wide sidewalks.
Reconstructed  Red Cliff Arch Bridge — This historical steel arch bridge, originally completed in 1941, stands more than200 feet above the Eagle River in Red Cliff, CO. The rehabilitation project widened and upgraded the bridge deck to current safety standards while maintaining the bridge’s original character and appearance. In addition, by adding shear studs to create composite action, the bridge was strengthened for live loads. The steel columns were modified to decrease corrosion potential while girder connections were replaced or made redundant. The entire steel superstructure was then cleaned and sandblasted and then painted with a 3-ply paint system.
Special Purpose Liberty Bridge — Located just downstream from a group of waterfalls, the new bridge is part of a larger project intended to transform the Reedy River Falls Historic Park in downtown Greenville, SC, into a spectacular public attraction and garden. The new bridge has instantly become an icon for the city and thousands of people have been drawn to walk across it enjoying spectacular views of the falls. The transparent 340-foot suspension bridge has a clear span of 200 feet over the Reedy River. Twin 100-foot tall inclined towers and razor-thin cables suspended only on one side support the bridge as it curves away from the falls, providing a viewing platform of the park and cascading water. The bridge design is one of a kind and complements rather than dominates the natural scenery of the area.
Special Award  Cooper River Bridge — This new eight-lane bridge in Charleston, SC, is the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America. Designed to meet extreme wind and earthquake conditions and featuring a main span length of 1,546 feet, the new crossing replaces two existing outdated truss bridges. The effective and cost-efficient use of structural steel for the main span, high-level approaches and curved ramp structures minimizes weight under seismic loading, long-term shrinkage effects, and wind exposure area. The design-build project for the South Carolina Department of Transportation opened to traffic on July 16, 2005, one year ahead of schedule.