Intercity Bridge: First Major U.S. Cable-Stayed Bridge

Grant, Arvid; ,

Intercity Bridge: First Major U.S. Cable-Stayed Bridge

by Arvid Grant, (F.ASCE), Pres.; Arvid Grant & Assocs., Inc., Olympia, Wash.,

Serial Information: Civil Engineering—ASCE, 1979, Vol. 49, Issue 6, Pg. 71-73

Document Type: Feature article

Abstract:

The Intercity Bridge spans the Columbia River, connecting the cities of Pasco and Kennewick, Wash. It is the longest cable-stayed, concrete bridge in the U.S. (2,403-ft) and it has been awarded the 1979 ASCE Special Achievement Award for Structural Engineering. This bridge is the synthesis of the 50 cable-stayed bridges built in Europe. Further, ity is built of concrete, not steel. The bridge is 90 ft wide with four traffic lanes; the longest span is 981 ft. The girder is structurally continuous and suspended over 1,794 ft of its length. The deck structure was assembled from separately precast, prestressed large concrete elements. (Segments weigh over 300 tons each, compared to a norm of 40 tons to 70 tons). The Intercity bridge is simple, elegant, very strong�and economical. It was built for $112/psf, compared to the average for deep water bridges of $200/psf.

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