Sixteen steel bridge projects have earned national recognition in the 2016 Prize Bridge Awards. Conducted every other year by the National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA), the awards honor significant and innovative steel bridges constructed in the U.S. Recognizing innovative design and engineering, the award is the highest honor bestowed on bridge projects by the U.S. structural steel industry. The winning bridges and their project team members were recognized yesterday during the 2016 NASCC: The Steel Conference / World Steel Bridge Symposium (WSBS) in Orlando, Fla.
The awards were presented to winners in seven categories covering an array of bridge types including: Major Span, Long Span, Medium Span, Short Span, Moveable Span, Reconstruction Span and Special Purpose. Recognition was also given to projects that best exemplified accelerated bridge construction (ABC) and sustainability. All structures were opened to traffic between May 1, 2013 and September 30, 2015.
This year’s Prize Bridge Award winners are:
- Major Span: Hastings Bridge, Hastings, Minn.
- Long Span: IH-35 Bridges over the Brazos River, Waco, Texas
- Medium Span: Kenneth F. Burns Memorial Bridge, Worcester/Shrewsbury, Mass.
- Short Span: Wampum Bridge, Lawrence County, Pa.
- Moveable Span: South Park Bascule Bridge Replacement, Seattle
- Reconstruction Span: Alexander Hamilton Bridge, New York City
- Special Purpose: 606 - Milwaukee Avenue Bridge, Chicago
This year’s Merit Award winners are:
- Major Span: Stan Musial Veterans Memorial, St. Louis / St. Clair County, Ill.
- Long Span: (I-270 over) Chain of Rocks Road Canal Bridge, Granite City, Ill. / Bellefontaine Neighbors, Mo.
- Medium Span: Falls Flyover Ramp, Wichita, Kan.
- Short Span: Mill Creek Bridge, Astoria, Ore.
- Moveable Span: Henry G. Gilmerton Bridge, Chesapeake, Va.
- Moveable Span: World War I Memorial Bridge, Portsmouth, N.H., and Kittery, Maine
- Reconstruction Span: Donald R. Lobaugh Bridge, Freeport, Pa.
- Reconstruction Span: Wells Street Bridge, Chicago
The following projects received an ABC commendation:
- Milton-Madison Bridge, Milton, Ky., and Madison, Ind.
- Wampum Bridge, Lawrence County, Pa.
The following project received a sustainability commendation:
- Mill Creek Bridge, Astoria, Ore.
“The Prize Bridge Awards program was initiated in 1928 with the Sixth Street Bridge in Pittsburgh — now named the Roberto Clemente Bridge — which is still a landmark in the city's downtown area,” commented Bill McEleney, NSBA managing director. “This year’s award winners follow the example of the Clemente Bridge as they utilize state-of-the-art design strategies and materials to produce economical and iconic structures which will stand for the next 100 years. These projects were selected by a jury of the designers' peers and are representative of the ability of structural steel to provide the best solution for the full range of bridge needs.”
Winning projects were selected based on innovation, aesthetics, economy, and design and engineering solutions by a jury of five engineering and construction professionals: David Spires, P.E., senior engineering manager with WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff; Michael Culmo, P.E., vice president of transportation & structures with CME Engineering; Brian Kozy, P.E., Ph.D., structural engineering division team leader with FHWA; Steve Jacobi, P.E., state bridge engineer for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation; and Carmen Swanwick, S.E., chief structural engineer for the Utah Department of Transportation.
To learn more about the Prize Bridge Awards, visit www.steelbridges.org/prizebridge. All of the winners will be featured in our June issue, with detailed project descriptions and photographs of each.