Milestone Projects Completed & Underway

Editorial by Cliff Freyermuth, Manager, ASBI

2006 was a banner year for completion or substantial completion of major segmental and cable-stayed bridge projects in the U.S. including:
• The Skyway portion of the San Francisco-Oakland East Bay Bridge, California (Newsletter, Volume 47)
• The Susquehanna River Bridge, Pennsylvania (see newsletter project report)
• The Otay River Bridge, California (see newsletter project report)
• The Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory (see newsletter project report)
• The Lee Roy Selmon Expressway, Tampa, Florida
• The Veterans Glass City Skyway, Ohio (see newsletter project report)
• US-17 Wilmington Bypass, North Carolina (Newsletter, Volume 48)
• Benicia-Martinez Bridge, California (see newsletter project report)

Major Segmental projects underway in the U. S. include:
• Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge, Arizona-Nevada (Longest Concrete Arch Span in the U.S., Newsletter, Volume 48)
• Wakota Bridge, Minnesota (Newsletter, Volume 46)
• Seattle Sound Transit Light Rail Project, Washington (see newsletter project report)
• Allegheny River Bridge, Pennsylvania (see newsletter project report)

Taken together, the above projects illustrate major advantages of segmental and concrete cable-stayed bridges, including:
• Rapid, economical construction over water and in limited right-of-way
• Durability, with design life up to 150 years
• Design for extreme seismic events
• Protection of sensitive environment
• Long-span capability
• Integration of aesthetics<
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These advantages, and others, are considered to provide the basis for continued growth in the use of concrete segmental and cable-stayed bridges in the years ahead.