than the others. Also, one bridge may have more arches or curves than another. Thom describes them as siblings. One of Thom’s main concerns was to make the bridges pedestrian-friendly, an aspect that would reflect his impression of a city he finds full of gentle people. To accomplish this, he designed the structures with walkways that will connect to trails and open spaces below the roadway level. Railing and lighting designs are still under consideration. Thom has said he wants to keep the bridges as close to the water as possible, affording easy access by the public. The construction technique is as unique as the design. Unlike most bridges, which are built over an existing body of water, the Trinity bridges will be built before the water is dredged out underneath using dirt mounds as concrete forms—a cost-control measure expected to cost approximately 25 percent less than the traditional construction method. “It’s actually an ancient technique and it’s much cheaper,” Thom said. “You don’t have to build forms and (top right) A model dipicts the future Trinity Uptown development. (below) At left is the area before construction. At right the bridges are shown: 1) North Main Street Bridge; 2) Henderson Street Bridge; 3) White Settlement Road Bridge.
scaffolding because you can use the land as the scaffolding.” Bing Thom Architects also is collaborating with the Tarrant County Water District to update the Trinity River flood control system and to solve the historic problem of connecting with the river while maintaining safety from flood conditions. The firm proposed the idea of building a bypass channel, creating a lake, which would divert the occasional flood waters away from the development lands. This concept involves removal of the 40-year-old levees and creates an 800-acre development site adjacent to downtown with more than 12 miles of accessible waterfront and trails. This waterfront system will give way to nearby housing and retail facilities. Approximately 25,000 residents are expected to live within the new development site. The site will have mixed-use neighborhoods with parks, amenities, schools, services, and retail. By placing such a large population within walking distance of Fort Worth’s commercial and entertainment core, automobile dependence is expected to be reduced. Sustainable strategies such as local storm-water retention, low-impact landscaping, dense land-use development, and waste-water recycling will also be implemented in the plan.
The three bridges are expected to cost a total of $53 million, which will be funded by the City of Fort Worth. Currently in the preliminary design phase, officials are meeting with contractors and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to determine feasibility and traffic logistics. As the first of the Trinity River Vision projects, construction on all three bridges is expected to begin in 2009 with completion set for June 2010. a n d r e a
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The writer is associate publisher of Texas Architect.
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