Building Bridges…
Photo courtesy of Laura McMahon
Building Bridges…
by Sweiskloss
May 1, 2025
by Sweiskloss
May 1, 2025
Photo courtesy of asce.org
Both a pedestrian bridge and an art installation, Sundial Bridge spanning the Sacramento River at Turtle Bay in Redding, CA, is one of the few US bridges designed by world renowned Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava. Featuring a 217-foot-high pylon, “as the name suggests, the Sundial Bridge is… a working sundial and is one of the largest in the world” (turtlebay.org). The steel, glass and granite “span evokes a sense of weightlessness” (turtlebay.org). Environmentally responsible, the 700-foot-long bridge traverses the river “without placing columns in the waters so as to not disturb the salmon-spawning habitat. (Calatrava.com)
Image courtesy of visitcos.com
If you have a fear of heights, we recommend you don’t look down when crossing America’s highest suspension footbridge. Visitors to the park can walk the 1,257 wooden planks suspended 956 feet over the Arkansas River. Built in 1929 and completed in only six months, the bridge is comprised of 4200 steel cables, is 1,260 feet long and was designed to withstand up to 125 mph winds (royalgorgebridge.com).
Designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by ASCE in 2005, the cable-stayed Sunshine Skyway Bridge spans 4.14 miles over Tampa Bay connecting St Petersburg to Bradenton. The original bridge bult in 1954 was severely damaged in a thunderstorm in May 1980 when a freighter plowed into it. Safety was a priority when they rebuilt: large concrete islands, called dolphins, are installed around each of the six piers that can withstand the impact of an 87,000-ton ship (pbs.org). Parts of the old bridge have been repurposed in the fishing piers located at both ends and have also been recycled into artificial reefs in Tampa Bay (thomasnet.com). In a nod to the Sunshine State, the cables are painted a bright yellow.
Image by TravelScape on Freepik
While not as famous as the other NYC bridge that crosses the East River, the George Washington Bridge is far busier boasting approximately 300,000 vehicles per day, making it the busiest bridge in the US. The double-decker suspension bridge which crosses the Hudson River connecting New York and New Jersey, features 14 lanes and measures 4,760-feet in length. Its silhouette is defined by the large 604-foot suspension towers, which were originally intended to have granite cladding, but due to the Great Depression were left as exposed steel. When construction began in 1927 the bridge only featured one deck but was designed with the intention to accommodate a second level at a future date. This modular approach was innovative in its flexibility and foresight in addressing future traffic demands. The construction itself was a “marvel in engineering. The four main cables are each composed of a single strand carried back and forth across the river 61 times” (panynj.gov). “Since the late 1940s, the bridge has flown “the world’s largest free-flying American flag” (axiomint.com).
Photo by Andrew Frasz on Dezeen
Comprised of 163 sustainably sourced Alaskan yellow cedar glue laminated wood beams from British Columbia, the Timber Bridge is part of New York City’s High Line park. Fastened together at street level and then craned into place, the 260-foot-long timber bridge provides pedestrians with a continuous path traversing over busy streets. Constructed in a Warren Truss style it is formed by a series of equilateral triangles (HighLine.org).
Photo courtesy of thecauseway.us
The longest continuous bridge in the world over water, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge in Louisiana, spans almost 24 miles. The bridge features two parallel spans for north- and south-bound traffic, a drawbridge at mile marker 16, and unimpeded views. When it was built in 1956 it was the first bridge construction to utilize assembly-line, mass-production methods, according to the ASCE.