NATIONAL AWARD MAJOR SPAN TEMPE TOWN LAKE LIGHT RAIL BRIDGE TEMPE, ARIZ

摘要

Built to withstand a 500-year flood, the Tempe Town Lake Light Rail Bridge spans 1,535 ft and consists of two abutments, 10 Y-shaped piers and 42 steel trusses that feature diagonal pipe bracing connecting top and bottom pipe chords. It was built to provide the Valley Metro Light Rail project, a high-capacity transit system, with a crossing over Tempe Town Lake to connect Phoenix with Tempe and its neighboring communities. This bridge represents true design innovation because it combines the past with the present. During the day, one can see that the superstructure mimics the truss design of the adjacent historic Union Pacific Railroad Bridge. At night, modern technology emerges for a visual spectacle. Below the 30-ft-wide cast-in-place concrete deck is an advanced fiber-optic lighting system that vividly illuminates the structure with various colors.