Design becoming reality for new Dallas icon
The first batch of steel for what will be Santiago Calatrava's first vehicular bridge in the United States has been delivered signalling an important moment for the 'signature' Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas.
When approached to design the bridge for the city of Dallas, the world-renowned architect, engineer and artist derived a plan that will not only create a new icon for the city’s skyline, but will also pump life back into the Trinity River. The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas is also designed as a symbolic gesture; a gateway into the city and the realization of the Trinity River’s enormous capacity to bring a new piece of functional, yet beautiful development to Dallas.
The cable stay steel bridge with pylon is located in downtown Dallas, between Continental Avenue and Union Pacific Railroad Bridges the structure will cross the Trinity River Corridor linking West Dallas/North Oak Cliff with the downtown area. At a length of 418.5m and a width of 36.7m the bridge carries 6 lanes of traffic across the water.
Famed in particular for his bridges, the architect's design has been carefully drawn to enabling the use of a light, efficient deck system, with the central pylon supporting the deck via cable-stays. The array of cables effectively distributes the forces over the pylon and the symmetry of permanent loads helps maintain a slender, balanced arch pylon. The arch pylon is a closed steel box with internal diaphragms, stiffeners and anchorages for the cables.
The central box girder acts as a spine and contributes greatly to the torsional rigidity of the system which allows the cables to anchor along the centre-line of the bridge. The regularly-spaced ribs and edge box girders help provide a frame which is stiff in-plane.
Construction began on site in 2007 and is set to complete by the end of 2010.
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