Archinect - News

NYT survey finds 309 bridges across the U.S. vulnerable to ship strikes following Baltimore disaster

2024-04-09T12:19:00-04:00

In the wake of last month’s fatal collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, the New York Times has published an assessment of other vulnerable spans across the country in danger of similar catastrophic failures due to the precarity of critical elements and various structural deficiencies.

According to the report, a total of 309 bridges are at risk of collapsing from a direct hit by an errant ship as was the case in Baltimore and nearly repeated in an incident last week at the Verrazzano Bridge in New York City.

Of those 309 surveyed, 193 bridges that service a significant number of motor vehicle traffic (10,000 or more cars per day) face dangers stemming from a lack of protective barriers at their pier supports and caissons. Among the largest are the Lewis and Clark Bridge in Washington state and the Crescent City Connection in New Orleans.

Recently on Archinect: Transportation Secretary Buttigieg admits ‘we don't fully know’ scope or extent of Francis Scott K...

Major Baltimore bridge collapses after being struck by container ship

2024-03-26T11:04:00-04:00

A major bridge in Baltimore, MD has collapsed after being crashed into by a container ship. The Francis Scott Key Bridge, which spans 1.6 miles over the Patapsco River, was hit by the 1000-foot-long ship just before 01:30 ET.

Rescue efforts are ongoing for as many as seven people believed to be missing, while two people have already been pulled from the water alive. As the bridge was struck, contractors were working on the bridge to repair a concrete deck.

According to early reports, the container ship ‘Dali’ was leaving the port of Baltimore en route to Sri Lanka. On approach to the bridge, the ship deviated from its charted route, colliding with one of the bridge’s main concrete pillars. Upon impact, the bridge quickly crumbled into the river.

The bridge opened in 1977, designed as a steel arch continuous through truss bridge. At the time of its completion, the bridge’s main 1.6-mile span was the third longest of any continuous truss bridge in the world.

To maintain its structura...

For World Engineering Day, these six bridges stand as examples of the complexities underneath every design

2024-03-04T20:06:00-05:00

Today is World Engineering Day, and to celebrate it, Archinect has curated a few outstanding bridge projects we’ve included in our recent news coverage to highlight critical pieces of infrastructure at an important time for civil and structural engineering in the Americas and abroad.

The six highlighted bridges provide examples of remarkable design standards and engineering practices while, in some instances, setting records and starting off new precedents for incorporating alternative materials, the conditions of a circular economy, aesthetic variance, building science, low-carbon construction methods, and more.

Strait of Messina Bridge from the Stretto di Messina SpA and Webuild (Sicily, Italy)

Rendering courtesy Webuild

What will become the world’s longest suspension bridge design when completed has been stalled in the project pipeline since 2003. Now, with the constant stop-and-start cycle behind it, the seven-year project will advance toward a likely construction start later th...

World's longest suspension bridge is moving forward in Italy after decades of pushback and delays

2024-02-25T08:00:00-05:00

Construction of what would be the world's longest suspension bridge, connecting Sicily and mainland Italy over the Strait of Messina, could begin this year after the final design recently gained approval. The long-delayed project would stretch more than 10,800 feet if completed.

The controversial bridge is estimated to cost approximately $5 billion and take around seven years to build. It will feature three vehicle lanes and a central lane for rail. The structure is also designed to withstand 180-mile-per-hour winds and up to 7.1-magnitude earthquakes.

The concept has been in the works since the 1960s, and it wasn’t until 2003 that a preliminary design for it was approved. Since then, the project has experienced a cycle of being shelved and revived by various Italian governments in power. Critics of the endeavor have asserted that the bridge has been nothing more than a tool to win votes that would waste billions of dollars.

State-owned sponsor Stretto di Messina SpA (SdM) has long...

Holcim and Zaha Hadid Architects team debuts second 3D printed concrete bridge concept

2024-01-14T08:00:00-05:00

Zaha Hadid Architects has released details of a second collaborative effort with Holcim on a 3D printed bridge concept that was first debuted as part of the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale.

The new ten-ton Phoenix design offers an evolution of the innovations seen in the previous Striatus bridge, the original blocks of which the team was able to recycle in the second iteration.

Image: Vincent Delesvaux

For the project, Holcim was able to deliver Phoenix with a 25% overall reduction in CO2 footprint compared to its earlier counterpart, thanks to the use of an updated ECOCycle circular technology and a special proprietary concrete ink that was also developed by the company. The construction was completed recently in Lyon, France, on the grounds of Holcim’s Innovation Hub. Its proponents are now citing it as a milestone for the design industry’s quest to develop low-carbon structural solutions at different scales.

Image: Holcim

Shajay Bhooshan, head of Zaha Hadid Architects' Computati...

Gordie Howe International Bridge construction: Opening delayed to September 2025

2024-01-09T17:04:00-05:00

The completion date for the delayed Gordie Howe International Bridge has been pushed back to September 2025, according to the Detroit Free Press.

A public announcement put out by the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority detailed the progress that’s been made since the project commenced in late 2018.

Since that time, the bridge’s road deck construction, stay cable installation, and Port of Entry facilities have progressed successfully. Completion of the road deck, stay cable installations, and ancillary Port of Entry outbuildings will follow in the coming year. The finalization of the operations process is then anticipated for the year after.

"After a three-year pandemic and considering the size and complexity of the Gordie Howe International Bridge project, our project team is pleased that the impact to the construction schedule is limited to only 10 months beyond the original contracted com...

Golden Gate Bridge finally installs anti-suicide nets after years of delay

2023-11-07T12:51:00-05:00

Construction of the lingering suicide prevention upgrades is wrapping up on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

The project's long road to culmination was covered by the New York Times recently as contractors work to finish installing the netting system, which was more than 80% in place as of September.

Work began in August of 2018 after an additional $124 million in funds needed for the project was eventually raised. It then hit further delays in the form of a contractor’s breach-of-contract lawsuit arising from significant cost overruns, which drove the installation's final price from $142 million to the $400 million final reported estimate.

Some have framed the project as emblematic of the “wrong approach” to suicide prevention, saying they are susceptible to second attempts and that money is better distributed through the city’s mental health network. Dennis Mulligan, the General Manager and...

Provencher_Roy uses recycled glass material to complete Darwin Bridges reconstruction in Montreal

2023-11-02T13:45:00-04:00

Provencher_Roy has shared photos following the firm’s completion of a bridge reconstruction project in Nuns’ Island, Montreal.

The new Darwin Bridges makeover represents the first instance of Ground Glass Pozzolan (GGP), a recycled glass product developed with researchers from the Université de Sherbrooke and the City of Montreal, being used in an architectural design worldwide.

The project succeeded in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 44 tons, while using over 88,000 pounds of locally sourced recycled glass (the equivalent of 70,000 wine bottles). A green space was enacted in a void created by removing the existing central median strip, and safety lighting has been installed to prevent tunnel sensation.

Image © Stephane Brugger

“The concept was always there, but the design and construction standards of the time favored the automobile. For this project, we were therefore working in a paradoxical 1960s context, on an innovative urban project to improve the user experience, while a...

36% of all U.S. bridges are structurally deficient, study finds

2023-08-29T13:49:00-04:00

A study of every bridge in the U.S. Department of Transportation database has discovered a need for $319 billion worth of major repairs or replacement work on a total of 222,000 spans across the country.

The findings published in the American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s 2023 analysis also showed an overall decline of 560 bridges in need of repair versus last year. The news comes a little less than two years removed from the belabored passage of the $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a piece of legislation that included no less than $40 billion for bridge projects through the end of 2027.

Construction Dive has more analysis of the new report, which showed an increase in the overall share of bridges that are in "fair" condition simultaneous to a decline of those in both "poor" and "good" categories.

Previously on Archinect: A new infrastructure approach could save millions per year, say researchers

West Virginia leads all states, with 20% of all its br...

Zaha Hadid Architects completes arching bridge across China’s Jiangxi River

2023-08-21T11:27:00-04:00

Construction has been completed on the Zaha Hadid Architects-designed Chengdu West First Bridge in China. Spanning 600 feet across the Jiangxi River, the bridge caters to motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians.

Image credit: Liang Xue

The symmetrical bridge comprises two primary steel arches that rise from either side of the road deck. The arches lean together as they rise to touch tangentially at the bridge's peak, offering stability from lateral wind loads.

Image credit: Arch Exist

Image credit: Liang Xue

The bridge’s arches are tied together at their base by longitudinal box girders that run along the edge of the road deck. The ties are designed to counteract the outward horizontal pressure of each arch and thus significantly reduce the horizontal loads on the bridge’s foundations.

Image credit: Arch Exist

“The dynamic curvature of the bridge’s supporting piers and abutments taper into its primary arches and road deck, defining a sculptural landmark within Chengdu’s transport infrastru...

New construction updates on Zaha Hadid Architects' pedestrian bridge project in Hangzhou, China

2023-07-28T13:34:00-04:00

Zaha Hadid Architects has shared a new video detailing the construction progress of its pedestrian bridge project over the Grand Canal in Hangzhou, China.

Concrete arches are now in place for the bridge, which is located not far from the site of the firm’s recently announced multivenue sports complex. The design connects with the larger ‘Seamless City’ masterplan, which is underway on both sides of the city’s Qiantang River.

A video of the bridge’s progress can be viewed below courtesy of Hangzhou CBD Development Group.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Zaha Hadid Architects (@zahahadidarchitects)

The firm shares: “The new 320m pedestrian bridge defines the Grand Canal’s southern gateway on the Qiantang River, marking the start of the canal’s journey 1776 km north to Beijing. China’s most historic man-made waterway, some sections of the Grand Canal date back to the 5th century BC.”

New York’s High Line opens two timber bridges by SOM and Field Operations

2023-06-23T08:00:00-04:00

The newest addition to New York City’s High Line has opened to the public. Named the Moynihan Connector, and designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with James Corner Field Operations, the timber bridges form a link between a series of civic spaces from Midtown West to the West Village.

The Connector is composed of two bridges running above Dyer Avenue and West 30th Street, creating what the team calls an “elevated, accessible, and episodic urban journey from the doorstep of Moynihan Train Hall to the contemporary public spaces of Brookfield’s Manhattan West and the verdant gardens and historic structure of the High Line.” The larger bridge, named the Woodland Bridge, comprises a 340-foot-long structure of exposed weathered columns and angle bracket arms. Meanwhile, the 260-foot-long Timber Bridge comprises a glulam Warren truss made from sustainably sourced wood.

Image credit: Andrew Frasz

“The High Line – Moynihan Connector knits the city’s open spaces together — bringing greater ac...

Mass timber pedestrian bridge rises at Toronto's George Brown College

2023-04-28T14:26:00-04:00

Canadian construction company PCL Construction is celebrating a major milestone in the construction of George Brown College’s new Limberlost Place on Toronto’s waterfront, with the installation of a mass timber pedestrian bridge.

Standing 65 feet above street level, the structure connects level five of Limberlost Place to level six of the college’s Daphne Cockwell Center for Health Sciences. The 10-story Limberlost Place is reportedly set to be the first mass timber, net-zero carbon emissions institutional building of its kind in Ontario. It was designed by a team consisting of Moriyama and Teshima Architects and Acton Ostry Architects. The building is expected to be completed by 2024 and will be open for classes in January 2025.

Video via PCL Construction on YouTube

The pedestrian bridge stretches approximately 70 feet and is made up of two glue-laminated trusses and four cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels. Individual CLT pieces were prefabricated at an off-site location befor...

Turenscape's 'floating forest' reshapes a former wasteland into a multifunctional urban landscape

2023-01-11T12:20:00-05:00

Beijing-based landscape architecture firm Turenscape has completed the transformation of a former 126-acre dumping ground into a “dreamlike floating forest” in the eastern Chinese city of Nanchang.

The new Fish Tail Park operates a triple function as a habitat for wildlife, a recreational area for the city, and a stormwater regulator, creating what the design team calls a “replicable model of designed urban nature for regions with monsoon or variable climates that can address the multiple challenges of floods, habitat restoration, and recreational demands.”

Image credit: Turenscape

To create the landscape, the team recycled coal ash previously dumped on the site, mixing it with dirt from fish pond dykes to create numerous islets. At the same time, a new lake was created to accommodate over 35 million cubic feet of stormwater inflow. In anticipation of fluctuating water levels, a selection of native trees and wetland plants capable of surviving the varying conditions have been plante...

Skanska to lead $150 million Williamsburg Bridge overhaul

2022-10-17T11:53:00-04:00

The New York City Department of Transportation has selected Swedish construction concern Skanska to lead a $150 million rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Williamsburg Bridge, the city and firm announced last week.

According to Skanska, the project will include “structural steel repairs throughout the bridge superstructure, inclusive of floor beam repairs, a transit hanger retrofit and temporary jacking system, gusset plate repairs, truss bottom chord repairs, top and bottom lateral bracing strengthening, overhead truss diagonal replacements, intermediate towers repairs and transit stringer repairs.”

The 119-year-old span has been rehabilitated several times throughout its history, including most famously a miraculous $250 million effort in 1988. Skanska's work will be funded in part by the Biden Administration’s newly-announced first round of Bridge Investment ...

Los Angeles looks to crack down on street takeovers and climbing at its new Sixth Street Viaduct

2022-08-03T18:13:00-04:00

Last Friday, Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León proposed an ordinance prohibiting street takeovers, drag racing, vandalism, and climbing the arches, among others, of the recently-opened Sixth Street Viaduct.

In the three weeks, since the $588 million Michael Maltzan-designed bridge opened, it has been shut down by the LAPD, including a stretch of four consecutive nights, due to takeovers, rowdy crowds, and other dangerous activities.

Previously on Archinect: The Sixth Street Viaduct is lit, and it’s making people in Los Angeles a little too rowdy

Along with the ordinance, de León also proposed a motion to calculate the cost of periodically closing the bridge to cars for pedestrians and cyclists only. His proposal is as follows (h/t Urbanize Los Angeles):

The Bureau of Engineering to report on the resources and timeline to install cameras, fencing, signage, and traffic control mitigations to increase public safety.
LAPD and the Department of Transportation to report on t...

The Sixth Street Viaduct is lit, and it’s making people in Los Angeles a little too rowdy

2022-07-26T12:42:00-04:00

For the third consecutive night, the Los Angeles Police Department said on Twitter that it was forced to shut down the 6th Street Viaduct, saying it was due to “questionable activity.” [...] The 3,500-foot bridge that connects Boyle Heights to downtown Los Angeles has been open to traffic for just two weeks, but it’s quickly become a popular spot for street takeovers, illegal racing, dangerous stunts and vandalism.

The 'party people' took over Michael Maltzan’s brand new bridge redesign within hours of its July 9th opening. Some reports indicated that at least 250 people gathered last weekend for a second night of what the LAPD called "illegal activity," which resulted in arrests and the attempted bombing of a KTLA reporter live on air. Pro skater Meklo Rivera pulled up later to showcase some risky moves on one of the span’s many inviting concrete arches, but the cops eventually shut it down.

Some are framing this as an organic, car-free outpouring of community. In a hard-line rebuke of their viewpoint, Mayoral frontrunner Kevin de Leon said: "Angelenos deserve architecturally stunning projects in their own neighborhood, and we won’t be deterred by a few scofflaws."

Take a look at new Iwan Baan photos of LA's Sixth Street Viaduct ahead of its grand opening

2022-07-08T15:27:00-04:00

Concluding a multi-year construction effort that began with the demolition of the original 1930s Sixth Street Bridge in 2016 and saw the new structure begin to rise one year later, the City of Los Angeles is set to celebrate the opening of the largest bridge project in its history with a slew of public events this weekend, July 9th and 10th.

Spanning 3,500 feet in length, the new $588 million Michael Maltzan-designed Sixth Street Viaduct reestablishes a vital connection between Downtown LA, the Arts District, and the historic Boyle Heights neighborhood by expanding the focus of transportation from merely car traffic to also prioritize pedestrians and cyclists, offering wide sidewalks as well as 10-foot-wide Class IV protected bike lanes along each side of the viaduct. The opening of the ambitious PARC project (Park, Arts, River, and Connectivity), overseen by landscape architects Hargreaves Jones, is anticipated for 2024-25.

Photo by Iwan Baan, courtesy Michael Maltzan Architecture...

This bridge near Oslo will be the world's longest designed without any 2D drawings

2022-06-22T17:50:00-04:00

Like many highway projects around the world, it has been engineered to span great distances and stand strong—feats that have become so normal they’re expected as the status quo. But unlike most large-scale building projects, this bridge has been designed and constructed without any drawings.

Called the Randselva Bridge, the structure stretches 2,080 feet and stands 180 feet above ground at its highest point. It’s located near the city of Hønefoss, about 31 miles northwest of Oslo. When it opens to traffic next month, it will be the longest bridge ever constructed without 2D drawings. Instead of using traditional construction blueprints, engineering company Sweco opted to employ a BIM model that would be used and adjusted throughout every step of the bridge’s construction. The company used technology company Trimble's Tekla modeling software. Oystein Ulvestad, a BIM developer for Sweco, led the design of the project.

As part of the BIM model, each section of the structure is constructed and scanned, allowing any changes to the project to be immediately reflected in the model. This makes it easier to execute adjustments to the plan, saving both time and money. Workers would follow the updated plans using tablets and augmented reality. According to Fast Company, Ulvestad s...

Long-awaited Sixth Street Viaduct is set to open on July 9th

2022-06-16T21:00:00-04:00

Your eyes do not deceive you: after six years, construction is set to come to a close next month for the new Sixth Street Viaduct. The $588-million structure, which spans 3,500 feet across the L.A. River between Boyle Heights and the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles, will open to the public in a two-day celebration on Saturday, July 9 and Sunday, July 10, 14th District Councilmember Kevin de Leon announced this week.

The largest bridge project in the history of Los Angeles is finally here. Designed by a team including architect Michael Maltzan and HNTB, the Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement Project sees the creation of a new bridge, dubbed “The Ribbon of Light”, to replace the original 1932 structure. The new structure’s distinguishing feature is its LED-lit arches that reference the iconic metal arches of its predecessor. In addition to restoring an important connection between the Arts District on the west side of the Los Angeles River and the historic neighborhood of Boyle Heights on the east side, the bridge provides new sidewalks and protected bike lanes.

Previously on Archinect: Oliver Wainwright on this summer’s most-anticipated infrastructure project

With the new viaduct complete, the Bureau of Engineering will now move on to constructing a 12-acre park underneath the structure. This $40 million endeavor will provide access to the Los Angeles River, public art, recreational programming, a...

Oliver Wainwright on this summer’s most-anticipated infrastructure project

2022-05-26T14:07:00-04:00

Maltzan has taken the twin arcs and multiplied them fivefold across the 3,500ft length, hopping over railway tracks and roads as the viaduct makes its way eastwards. The result is almost surreal: seen from either end, it looks like the traces of two bouncing balls, ping-ponging their way across the valley, the arches rising to different heights according to what they are jumping over.

The Guardian critic took a tour of Downtown LA's soon-to-be-completed new Sixth Street Viaduct with architect Michael Maltzan, who said the $588 million project’s “real challenge” was to “come up with something as iconic as the original.”

Maltzan said the preservation of the bridge’s original iconic arches was a focal point for him and his team (“they were so much part of the civic memory of the city”) and added that the capacity for the project to serve as a bridge for the different social divisions that have long roiled the newly-conjoined neighborhoods was as important as its use as public infrastructure.

SPF:architects' anticipated LA River pedestrian bridge opens to the public with a unifying gesture

2022-04-27T09:00:00-04:00

A major milestone in the ongoing LA River revitalization has been reached after SPF:architects announced the completion of its new Taylor Yard Pedestrian Bridge earlier this month.

Connecting an area north of Dodger Stadium known as Elysian Valley to the neighboring Cypress Park district, the bridge sits on a 42-acre former railway site and has been given the nickname ‘Rumblefish’ by its creators. The bridge takes its namesake and vibrant orange color from a lesser-known Francis Ford Coppola film that SPF:a felt reflected the same ideas of cohesion and brotherly unity expressed in its architecture and will thus serve as the most important piece of infrastructure in the larger Taylor Yard G2 River Park Project currently being undertaken by LA’s Bureau of Engineering.

Photo: Mike Kelley

Construction on the bridge began in 2019 and eventually yielded a 400-foot box-trussed span, in touch with the area’s industrial character and opposing elevations, with two cantilevered central viewing ...

LA's new 101 Freeway wildlife crossing to break ground on Earth Day

2022-04-21T14:49:00-04:00

The much-anticipated Wallis Annenberg Wildlife crossing will break ground on Friday, which is Earth Day. The bridge will ultimately be 210 feet long and 165 feet wide and will span all 10 lanes of the Ventura Freeway at Liberty Canyon in Agoura Hills. It is meant to promote biodiversity among Southern California mountain lions, which are isolated by the freeway, by connecting them with mountain lions in Northern California.

The groundbreaking ceremony of the much-anticipated, $90 million Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing project will be live-streamed on April 22 from 10 am Pacific Time at savelacougars.org.

Previously on Archinect:

LA's new Sixth Street Viaduct is about to change common perspectives on public urban space

2022-03-28T12:34:00-04:00

Once it opens, construction will start on public playing fields, gathering areas, green spaces and a dog park at the foot of the bridge on the Boyle Heights side, and a performance stage and green spaces on the Arts District side. And cyclists can gear up for the fall unveiling of a 10-foot-wide bicycle lane going both directions on the bridge, which they can access from the bike lane at the river via a steep spiraling ramp. It is a ride that will take some energy.

LA architect Michael Maltzan spoke about his desire for the reborn cinematic landmark to be received as a public space that is suis generis within the available Downtown and Boyle Heights vistas, which are mostly blocked by hilly areas and typified by a lack of public space.

“The bridge is really meant to be a civic armature, to turn infrastructure into something that weaves together the city and connects communities. It's really going to be an observatory,” he told KCRW's Frances Anderton. “It gives you a different image, a different picture, a different view, a different vantage of the city that you think you know very well.”

Previously on Archinect: LA's famed 6th Street Viaduct now has its first span in place

Maltzan also discussed his built-in challenge for Angeleno cyclists, a group he counts himself among that has exploded since the beginning of the pandemic and plays a pivotal role in the city’s comprehensive 2035 mobility plan.

“You have to put in a bit of an effort to earn ...

India will complete the world's tallest railway bridge in Kashmir by 2023

2022-03-22T11:39:00-04:00

An engineering marvel in the making, the world’s tallest railway bridge being constructed over Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district is likely to come up by December next year This railway bridge is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar- Baramulla Rail Link Project, which is the most challenging project being undertaken post-independence by Indian Railways.

The viral bridge is slightly higher up than the Najiehe Railway Bridge in China, which stands a total of 305 meters (about 1000 feet) in height. Fears by some about a potential terrorist attack had to be engineered into the span with blast-proof steel and other military-grade components owing to its connection with the volatile Kashmir region, which lost its special administrative status by order of parliament in August 2019.

India is hoping the bridge project, one of several that connects the capital region of Delhi to the strategically important city of Srinagar, will feature into its newfound push to kickstart the country’s economy through infrastructure enhancements. Last year, Prime Minister Modi unveiled a plan that would pay for such upgrades through a tax on cryptocurrencies in order to herald a 25-year period of prosperity the leader calls “Amrit Kaal.”

Sydney's iconic Harbour Bridge celebrates 90th birthday

2022-03-21T15:53:00-04:00

It started as a way to connect two sides of Sydney Harbour but, over 90 years, has become an iconic part of visiting Australia. It’s an icon of Australia and a beacon to tourists around the world. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is celebrating 90 years since it opened to the public on March 19, 1932.

The City of Sydney recently published a fascinating delve into the history of the 1,650-foot span bridge, including the Coachella-like program of festivities that surrounded its original opening ceremony. This past weekend’s celebration included the symbolic interchange of a vintage 1920s F1 electric rail car and modern Waratah set in addition to historic and ferry bus tours coupled with other period-specific to give residents a sense of the atmosphere nine decades ago.

Pressure from Sydney’s then-1.2-million-strong populace during the Great Depression was instrumental in the creation of the bridge, whose existence is now associated with notions of equity and progress that came at a time when Australia as a society was going through a process of desecularization and modern change.

The world's longest suspension bridge officially opens in Turkey

2022-03-21T15:11:00-04:00

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge over the Dardanelles Strait on Friday (18 March). It has a central span of 2,023m, which means it usurps the title of world’s longest suspension bridge from the Akashi Kaikyo crossing in Kobe, Japan.

As reported by Global Construction Review, the new bridge cost €2.5 billion ($2.76 billion) to construct and is expected to generate €5.3 billion ($5.84 billion) in economic output, creating 118,000 jobs and €2.4 billion ($2.65 billion) in revenue. Named after an Ottoman naval victory during WWI, it is the first fixed crossing over the Dardanelles Strait and the sixth one across the Turkish Straits. The bridge is the centerpiece of a planned 321-kilometer-long (200-mile-long), $2.8 billion project to connect motorways in Thrace and Anatolia.

The bridge was designed by Denmark-based Cowi and Pyunghwa Engineering Consultants of South Korea. Arup and Aas-Jakobsen worked on the project as Independent Design Verifier (IDV), with Turkey’s Tekfen and T-ingénierie of Switzerland serving as administrative consultants. The construction was carried out via a public-private partnership, formed in 2017, between a group of Turkish and South Korean companies, led by Daelim, SK, Limak, and Yapi Me...

A new museum for one of Australia's most serene artistic escapes

2022-02-05T09:00:00-05:00

The art ecosystem of Australia’s South Coast region got a significant boost over the weekend after the official unveiling of the new Bundanon Art Museum and Bridge for Creative Learning designed by Kerstin Thompson Architects.

The Melbourne-based firm worked with landscape architects Wraight Associates, Craig Burton, and sustainable design engineers Atelier Ten to create a multifaceted arts destination on an important 1,100-hectare (2,718-acre) property located in the Shoalhaven region of New South Wales.

Photo by Zan Wimberley

Designed to be a weather-resilient education center as well as an art museum and retreat destination, the entire development consists of a 500-square-meter (5,382-square-foot) museum, paddock-to-plate café, an education center, and lodging for up to 64 people. All this is inspired by the art of landscape painter Arthur Boyd, who, together with his wife Yvonne, gifted the property to the Australian people in 1993.

Photo by Zan Wimberley

The museum is split into ...

Jeff Bezos is having a bridge dismantled in Rotterdam to make way for his superyacht

2022-02-04T10:41:00-05:00

A century-old steel bridge in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam will be partially dismantled this summer to allow a superyacht being built for Jeff Bezos to sail through.

The controversial project will make way for Bezos’ new $485 million Oceanco-designed sailing yacht, which is about half the length of the Titanic. Bezos has agreed to pay for the bridge’s removal. The 144-year-old structure narrowly survived heavy allied bombing of the city during War II and a later attempt by the city to demolish it that was eventually stopped by local citizens. The bridge was restored in 2007.

Rotterdam’s mayor’s office has said it welcomes the economic benefits of the project, although some residents have other plans.

“From an economic perspective and maintaining employment, the municipality considers this a very important project,” Rotterdam municipal project leader Marcel Walravens told AFP. “In addition, Rotterdam has also been declared the maritime capital of Europe. Shipbuilding and activity within that sector are therefore an important pillar of the municipality.”

Busy Pittsburgh bridge collapses hours ahead of Biden's speech on infrastructure in the Steel City

2022-01-28T13:56:00-05:00

Ten people were injured Friday morning when a bridge that carries Forbes Avenue over Frick Park in Pittsburgh collapsed, officials said, with six vehicles including a Port Authority bus left stranded in the twisted mess of a bridge that had been listed in poor condition for the past decade.

President Biden is visiting the city today in a pre-planned visit to Carnegie Mellon University’s Mill 19 research hub, where, ironically, he is expected to deliver a speech on the dire need for infrastructure investment in Pittsburgh and the rest of the country. The Biden Administration recently added another $27 billion in federal funding earmarked especially for bridges to the $1 trillion infrastructure bill. Multiple investigations between 2011 and 2017 revealed the bridge to be in poor condition, according to the Pittburgh Post-Gazette.

“One man told me that the bridge he traveled on every day is a tragedy waiting to happen,” Biden said only a week ago while announcing the additional funding. “One woman wrote that a bridge near the center of her town had to be closed and now drivers and tourists bypass downtown, conjointly devastating local businesses. And one person wrote to me to say, quote, ‘This is your chance to show the people in my area that they matter to you.’ End of q...