Faced with the challenge of replacing an existing Art Deco arch bridge, the city of Columbus, Ohio, decided against replication in favor of constructing a new aesthetic symbol for the city. The proposed Main Street Replacement Bridge, a bridge consisting of a single-ribbed arch inclined at a 10-degree angle, will gracefully span the Scioto River and will provide the city with its new aesthetic symbol, as well as provide the final link between new parkway developments on both banks of the river. The original design concept was abandoned because of increasing construction complexities compounded by a decreasing budget allowance. With a client committed to aesthetic design, a requirement for a less complicated erection process, and a shortened construction timeline, the engineers were challenged to redesign the bridge within the revised budget while maintaining the intriguing geometry of the previous bridge design. How the design team overcame the new design challenges and, specifically, the redesign of the arch geometry, the reshaping and redesign of the pedestrian and vehicular decks, the redesign of the lateral bracing of the inclined arch, and the complete overhaul of the bridge piers, is described.
Abstract